


Culmination of Echoes (Undertale AU in Underfell)

by SquirrleyCow



Series: Culmination of Echoes [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Character Death, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, F/M, Game Spoilers, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Mental Coercion, Sexual Content, Sort of underage drinking, Suicide, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-21 14:41:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 138,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6055336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SquirrleyCow/pseuds/SquirrleyCow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone knows you can't be trusted, the monsters know humans are vicious and treacherous. Yet you feel like everything is wrong. Something urges you to befriend these creatures even though they keep killing you. One monster is particularly unsettled by your behavior, one who seems to know you better than you know yourself. Sans. The longer you stay under the mountain the more you discover about your "real" self. Can you face the ever darker revelations of your past lives as you travel through the underground? </p>
<p>Is your optimism and determination enough to keep you alive and save the monsters?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*There are some racy chapters later, but there will be an edited version of the same chapter available in case someone wants to skip that. There will be a warning in the notes before hand also.*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm not sure how long this will be or when I'll be updating, but I just fell in love with the idea of UnderFell and wanted to give it a shot. It will probably be rough, I'm probably going to leave out some characters for the sake of the storyline but I might add them later.
> 
> If you're not familiar with the AU, it's basically the characters of Undertale if they were as evil as they were nice. Lots of spikes and red and black. The main character will be a young woman approximately 20, but told in second person. (you, your, yourself)
> 
> Hope you guys like it, I'm just doing this for the hell of it!

"W-wake up." a tremulous whisper. A soft gasp. "P-please, you h-have to wake up human! He's coming!"

You groan, blinking blearily. Golden petals brush your face. A face in a flower looks uncertainly at you. "I'm fl-flowey. Flowey the flower." It whispers, barely above a breath. It twists behind itself and shudders, smacking you with its leaves gently. "Quick, human! Take me with you, I-I'll help you escape!" It's voice cracks with desperation.

"In this world, it's kill or be killed..." Shining tears spill from its eyes. "A-and I can't take it anymore. All the hatred, all the pain."

A crunching sound grows closer.

"Then just die already, you parasite." A voice growls. You close your eyes against the agony rolling through your skull. You blink and the small flower is gone.

A tisking sound. "Little coward always runs away." You're jerked up harshly by your forearm. The world spins and you vomit.

"Ugh. Fuckin' disgusting." the gruff voice whispers.

You're released and catch yourself on the ground just before your head bounces on the rocks beneath you. "Hey, human. Get up, unless you wanna die right now." He snaps.

You wipe your mouth on your sleeve and look up, struggling to focus on a dizzying figure above you. "Wh-what?" you stammer, eyes going wide when you see the face of a skull with one blazing red eye glaring down at you.

He rolls that red eye and grabs your arm again. "I said, GET UP!" he almost yells, it seems like he's struggling to keep his voice down. He glances around anxiously as he yanks you to your feet. Something tugs at your ankles gently, but you ignore it.

You're surrounded by darkness, the only light is his ghastly but fascinating eye. You slowly recover, taking a moment to stare at your captor/savior. He's only slightly taller than you, a skull with a fixed scowl. He wears a thick, black coat and what look like black gym shorts with bare-boned legs stuffed into red sneakers. He almost blends into the dark around you.

He's still gripping your forearm tightly. You realize you're inches from his face, staring into his one glowing eye. You gulp.

"Come on. You brain-dead moron." He turns abruptly, dragging you behind him. You stumble, struggling to keep your feet underneath you. A tickling sensation dances across your shoulders, something soft brushes against your cheek. You don't pause to see what it is, afraid you'll be thrown to the hard floor if you stop. It's easier to follow if you concentrate on his feet crunching over the rocks in front of you. The soft glow of his eye lights the way.

How did you get here? You wonder to yourself. Is this hell? "A-am I...in hell?" You ask hesitantly.

He laughs loudly. "Oh, you wish buddy. You're in monster-territory."

Your throat is dry. A chill runs down your spine. Suddenly, you remember being chosen for the sacrifice. Being thrown head-first into a seemingly bottomless pit. Your head pounds painfully, it feels like it's full of acidic cotton balls. You groan, holding your temple, realizing you had a concussion at the very least.

"What's going to happen to me?" You ask when you can see straight again. There's a small pinprick of light ahead. He's silent a moment. "Third human in a month. Must be a festival." he scoffs. "You humans sure are fucked up."

"What's going to happen to me?!" You demand, louder this time. You try to tear your arm from his grip but his bony hand only digs deeper into your skin.

He pauses, looking over his shoulder at you. "All humans are taken to the king." His scowl lifts momentarily, turning into a sinister smile. "But first, you're coming home to me." Your heart thunders and you can't catch your breath. The world spins again and you struggle to hang on to reality. His smile seems to fade just a moment before you black-out.

****

You blink awake. You stiffen, not daring to breathe as you take in the room around you. Your eyes dart, searching for the terrifying skeleton man with the glowing red eye. When you don't see him, or anyone else you relax...a little.

Sitting up you groan at the pounding in your skull. You look down in surprise at the bed you've been neatly tucked into. Black and red sheets, black wooden four-post bed. The room is decorated with a similar theme. Black and red haphazardly striped walls. You frown at the clothes strewn across the floor, mostly socks.

The door opens as you swing your legs out of bed. A silent yelp of surprise escapes you as you clutch the blankets to your neck in fear. The skeleton man is standing in the doorway, he froze at your reaction.

He scoffs after a moment and tosses a bundle at you. You manage to catch it with your face. "You'll stand out like a sore thumb. Change."

You pick up the bundle. It's a shredded black dress and leather boots. You grimace. "Why?"

His scowl deepens and he looks away. "Just fuckin' change, freak."

You stand. "Make me."

His eyes snap back to you. His left hand glows red and you feel your throat constrict as he balls his fist. Your hands frantically reach for your throat, but you find you can still breathe. There's an insane pressure in your chest, like a hand has wrapped around your heart.

He drops his hand and you fall to the floor, pulled down by the pressure in your chest. "Change." He repeats, turning and closing the door behind him.

You inhale shakily in relief when your heart is released from whatever his power had done to it. After a moment of self-pity you change into the dress and boots, dropping your sacrificial tunic to the floor. 

Movement on the bed. You turn in silent fear, eyes wide. A small flower pops up from between the wall and the mattress. It smiles nervously. You put a finger to your lips quickly before it speaks, glancing at the door. The skeleton man had already tried to kill him once, you didn't want your new friend to die.

It nodded in understanding and pulled itself across the bed as you pulled on the dress. You reach out and let it curl around your arm. It smiles in tired relief as you gently place it on your shoulders. The petals nuzzle your cheek briefly. "Thank you." It whispers.

The dress has a rose motif on the lace sleeves, you're surprised it fits fairly well. After a long moment the door opens again. Flowey hides in your hair, you feel its vine wrap securely around the locks against your neck. It shivers for a moment then stills. The skeleton boredly cocks an eyebrow....at least that's what it looks like, it's hard to tell when his bare face has no eyebrows.

"Not bad. The hair looks wild enough to blend in." He comments with a shrug. "You got a name?" You start to tell him but hesitate. "Call me...Karrin." You tell him, deciding last minute that your name died when you were thrown into that pit.

A dark smile bares his sharp teeth, revealing a gold canine. You wonder for a moment how he can make multiple expressions with no skin on his face. "Well, Karrin, are you hungry?"

You stare skeptically back at the skeleton man. He shrugs again. "I can't cook for shit. You'll need your energy to get to the king. Let's go to the bar."

He turns before you answer. After a moment you follow after him into the hall and down the crooked stairs to the darkened living room of what you assume is his home. He's waiting by the door. "I'm sensing a theme with you. Black, red, and broody." He tosses another bundle of clothes at you humorlessly. You catch it with your hands this time. It's soft. You shake it out and gasp softly. It's a crushed velvet robe, the lining is a gray downy color and the outer layer is black.

"It's bitter enough for a guy like me to catch their death out there, so bundle up."

You tie the robe around your shoulders and pull the thick hood over your matted hair. "Uh, thanks." You say, already feeling cozy in the soft robe. He scoffs again. "Kindness will get you nowhere down here kid."

You shrug. "Better than frostbite, better than dying when I hit the floor of the pit, better than staying with my village."

He frowns at you. "That bad?"

You stare back at him. "I can't change what happened, only what happens next."

His frown deepens, he looks disgusted. "Whatever. Let's go."

The skeleton wasn't kidding about it being bitter cold outside. You pull the robe tightly around you against the howling wind. For a moment you wonder how it's snowing so hard underground. Are you still underground? It was fall in your village when you fell, no way it would be snowing this bad back home.

You chalk it up to magic and leave it at that.

"What do I call you?!" you scream against the blizzard. You see his glowing eye turn to you. "Sans." He says back, not raising his voice. "Thank you, Sans!" You scream back, finding yourself smiling even as you begin to lose feeling in your hands.

He shakes his head, turning his back to you and trudging into the storm. He quickly fades into the snow fall. Your heart pounds and you run after him, kicking up snow into your over-sized boots. You don't need to lose him now or you'll die in minutes.

Flowey shivers against your neck.

You see a black shape and reach blindly. You grasp a cold, boney hand and sigh in relief. You clench it tightly with both hands as the wind whips your robe wildly around you. The shape leans closer to you and you realize your mistake.

This is not the face of Sans. But another skeleton. He looms over you with a wicked face. "Oh...oh no." Flowey says. "Th-that's..."

"HUMAN!" The tall skelton bellows. "RELEASE ME THIS INSTANT IF YOU VALUE YOUR PITIFUL LIFE!"

Your mouth falls in shock, but you hold tightly to the skeletons hand. His eyes narrow murderously and he leans close until he's at your eye-level. "HUMAN WENCH! THE GREAT PAPYRUS OF THE ROYAL GUARD DEMANDS YOU UNHAND ME!"

You snort. "UN-hand?" You look at your hands gripping his tightly. Papyrus is not amused and rips his arm back, pulling you up with it. You stare at him several feet from the ground and see his impressive armor. You frown at the repeated red and black theme.

"You monsters aren't very orginal, are you?"

"Shut up!" Flowey begs, burrowing into your hair.

Papyrus' mouth falls slightly in disblief.

"B-brother!" A voice calls in the snow. You and papyrus turn to see Sans sheilding his eye from the wind. "IS THAT HOW YOU ADDRESS YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER, WELP?!" Papyrus demands.

Sans jumps and corrects himself. "Sir! I was t-taking the human for provisions, then we were to rendezvous with you for an escort to the castle."

You look back at Papyrus still holding you in the air effortlessly. "THAT IS A SATISFACTORY PLAN, UNDERLING!" Sans almost smiles. "HOWEVER, YOU FORGOT THE FUCKING HUMAN!" Papyrus shakes his arm, trying to jostle you loose. You shrug casually, hanging...ten. You snicker at your own joke.

"You're going to get killed!" Flowey rasps.

Sans flinches at his brother's words. Papyrus becomes angrier and throws you at Sans. You yelp as you fall. Sans groans. "LET US MAKE HASTE! THE KING WILL BE PLEASED TO SEE ME DELIVER A LIVE HUMAN! ESPECIALLY WITH THE GREEDY QUEEN CONSUMING THE ONES IN THE RUINS WE DON'T REACH FIRST!" Papyrus yells, stepping over you and Sans in the snow. His spiked boots narrowly miss your face. Yet all you can think of is how gaudy his fashion sense is.

"GET OFF!" Sans yells, shoving you away. You roll off him into the snow on your back. Flowey pulls your hood tight around you with its vine as you stand again. Not wanting to get lost you grab Sans' hand before he gets too far from you.

He snarls, looking back at you with hatred. "Papyrus is gone." You tell him, searching the snowfall and seeing nothing. His snarl fades to a shallow scowl. He turns his back to you, but grips your hand tightly and drags you through the snow.

"He doesn't seem so bad." You whisper to Flowey. You feel him shiver against your skin. "He's killed me more times than I can count." Flowey replies. You sigh, believing the tiny flower.

You keep to yourself that Sans let you rest, gave you clothes and definitely carried you to his home. And Papyrus didn't kill you even though he threatened to. Sure, it could be explained as wanting to keep you alive long enough to reach the king, but you felt it was something a little more than that.

****

The heat of Grillby's was welcoming. The patrons were not. Sans jerked his hand away from yours before he opened the door and joslted you to a booth were Papyrus already sat.

You swallowed nervously as every monster in the bar turned and glared at you, some licked their lips. A few dog creatures snarled at you. "Smells like..." "...dinner." two dogs holding axes said.

"Yeah, yeah. Back off." Sans snapped. "She's for the king."

The patrons slowly turned away, the dog couple being the last. You shake your hands in your lap, encouraging the feeling to return. A tall monster that looked like he was made entirely of blue flame came to the table as Sans sat beside you, blocking your way out of the booth and forcing you to move closer to the wall.

Your knees knocked against Papyrus' boots painfully. You winced before you can stop yourself. He growled at you and turned away, scooting further back in the seat.

The blue flame monster waited, his expression unreadable.

"Get the kid a burger, an edible one, and I'll have fries." The monster seemed to nod and left. Sans pulled out a phone. You frown, your cult didn't allow technology. It's facinating to see the screen light up as he starts punching buttons.

"CAN'T BEAR TO SIT STILL FOR ONE MINUTE?" Papyrus snears, his chin resting boredly against his hand.

"Texting bunny for supplies. She'll drop them off at the house." Sans replies in monotone. Papyrus doesn't acknowledge that his brother even spoke.

If you don't have anything mean to say, don't say anything at all. You snicker quietly, earning a glare from Papyrus. As the flame monster ("Grillby" Sans calls him) returns with your food, you realize your head doesn't hurt. You had to have hit it pretty hard to throw up from the impact.

You pull your hood down and touch your temple, where the pain had bloomed when Sans jerked you to your feet. There was no lump, no pain, no dried blood even.

A small smile pulls at your lips. Another reason Sans wasn't as bad as he seems.

"FOOD IS THAT AMUSING HUMAN?" Papyrus asks.

"Hm?" You question, mouth full of burger. You quickly chew and swallow. "I haven't had a burger in years." You reply honestly. Something that could be called a frown crosses Papyrus' face, again hard to tell when a skull has no skin.

You glance at Sans, his plate was empty. "H-how do you eat if you're a skeleton?" You ask. Sans laughs, Papyrus glares at his brother. Sans actually winks, surprising you. "Magic, kiddo." You laugh at this slip in character. Sans seems to realize his mistake and scowls again.

"UGH. CEASE THIS MINDLESS FRIVOLITY." Papyrus groans. "I AM GOING TO INFORM UNDYNE OF THE HUMAN'S CAPTURE! SO SHE MAY PREPARE THE WAY FOR US THROUGH THE UNDERGROUND!"

He stands suddenly, nearly knocking the table over in his haste. You control yourself this time and manage not to laugh as the tall skeleton...blushed? Before you could be certain he was out the door into the cold.

The demeanor in the bar changed almost immediately. The atmosphere brightened and a low rumble of laughter and talking filled the space.

"Should really finish that, you'll need it." Sans grumbled.


	2. Chapter 2

You were still reeling from Sans' "shortcut" when you sat on the rock-hard couch. It was quicker than walking in the snow. Flowey brushes your cheek as you wait for the spinning to stop. Sans drops the backpack that had been left on the doorstep on the table.

He glances suspiciously at you as Flowey hid again. "Is that coward with you?" He growls.

You reach back, encouraging a trembling Flowey to untangle itself from your hair. Sans closes his eyes and growls again in frustration. "Jeeze kid, you don't have any sense do you? Friendliness ain't gonna get you anywhere."

You pet Flowey's faded gold petals, smiling down at it. It still seemed nervous around Sans. "You're not a very good liar." You tell him.

Sans finally opens his eyes, you're surpised to see both his eye sockets have white pupils. He looks tired. He smiles a little. "Whatever." He blinks and the red left eye returns. You smile at Flowey. "See" You whisper. "I told you."

Flowey glances uncertainly at Sans, who is busy searching through the bag. After a moment it crawls back up your arm and secures its vine around your hair. "I wouldn't t-trust him. But...he did fix your head while you slept." It breathes in your ear.

"Only to keep you from dying." Sans replies, not raising his voice. "What good is a dead human?" He inspects a strange, curved blade. "I already told you, you're not a good liar." Sans cuts his eyes at you, his scowl deepening.

He tosses the blade at you and you fumble to catch it without hurting yourself. "You're worth more to me alive than dead. Anyone who brings a live human to the king gets to leave the underground." He says it with certainty, looking at you intently.

You're not sure why, but it sounds like something he's said before. Maybe he said it while you were resting?

You turn the blade in your hands, not really enjoying the adrenaline rush it gives you. It unsettles you, this feeling of holding death in your hands. Its so...familiar. Your throat is dry and your hands tremble.

"I-I don't want this."

Sans narrows his eyes. He almost seems to want to say something but can't find the words. "Th...that's." He closes his eyes a moment and scratches his skull. You set the blade out of your reach on the couch, fearful of it.

"Who are you?" He asks, glaring at you.

You blink back at him, scared at the look in his eye. "I'm Karrin." You reply. Flowey trembles when it hears your name. "No. No you're not Karrin." Sans says.

You try to shrug it off. "Well, no my name isn't really Karrin. I made it up."

"I know that." You hear a small 'pop' and he's suddenly in front of you, his left hand glowing red. That pressure builds in your chest again, like he's gripping your heart with his bony hand. Flowey yelps. This time you can't catch your breath.

You're lifted to your feet in front of him, your legs are weak. "I know what your real name is, you've told me before."

Your eyes widen. "Wh-what?" You struggle to speak, the pressure builds until you're certain your heart will burst. "Don't play dumb, you're fucking with me, aren't you? You just want to see what will happen if you do things different, huh?"

Sans must be insane, you realize. What the hell is he talking about? You choke, weakly reaching for your throat. "P-please, S-Sans."

He roars in anger and flings his arm to the left. You fly into wall and sink to the floor. You cough and gasp for air. Flowey urges you to get up. You try, you fall to the floor chest first. Sans approaches slowly.

You try to stand again, he flings you to the floor. "This doesn't happen so soon in most timelines." He says. Your arms tremble with the effort to push off the floor. Your chin hits the wood and you wince as your jaw slams shut from the impact.

"Usually, I'm the last one you turn on. The last one you fight."

You look up. His face is unreadable. His hand flicks and you hit the ceiling, then the floor. You groan and Flowey whimpers. "But if you're going to do things differently, then so am I. Maybe the next reset, you'll stick to the rules."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." You manage to get out before he balls his fist again. You're pretty sure you broke some ribs, you've never broken them before but the sharp pain in your chest convinces you.

"You're stronger than him." Flowey whispers, it's voice the most certain you've heard it. It sounds sad. Sans falters, stepping back. He growls and flings his arm again. You hit the left wall, then the right, then back to the floor.

It's hard to see now. The vision in your right eye is black.

"No matter what, you've always been stronger." Flowey says.

You groan, shoving yourself upright. Sans looks worried. He glares and clenches his fist again. You wince, the pressure in your chest burning. You decide to ignore it and focus on the furious skeleton in front of you.

He flings his arm and you somehow anticipated it. You turn your body mid-air and land on your feet. You're parallel to the floor. This is too familiar to be shocking, but you're so creeped out by the deja-vu you being to shake.

Sans moves again and you twist. It feels so natural, so familiar. Flowey laughs in happy relief. "I-I knew it!" It cheers. He tries again and you're on the ceiling, staring down at him. The pressure is gone and you land on your ass on the floor, not moving quickly enough to recover.

Sans scoffs and shoves his hands in his pockets, not looking at you. "If you're Karrin, why are you so different? Are you just messing with all of us?"

You look up at him, not strong enough to stand yet. Flowey taps your cheek, it smiles genuinely at you. The sight fills you with DETERMINATION. Your heart feels warm and you can take a deep breath. You blink and the sight in your right eye returns.

Flowey smiles even wider, it's eyes shimmering. You carefully kiss its little forehead. Sans eyes are white, his face scrunched up in confusion.

You stand. "I'm not messing with anyone." Sans frowns, he doesn't believe you. "I'm not sure what's happening here. But things feel familiar. I-I knew what to do when you were flinging me. I also feel like...i've known you for a long time."

You decide to do something that doesn't feel familiar. You reach out and pull Sans close, hugging him. For a moment he does nothing. He pushes you away, his eye is red again. The sight hurts a little.

"Yeah, you're definitely not Karrin." He says. "At least...not the one I know."

"What was she like?" You ask.

"She...she never put that sickle down after I gave it to her." Is all he says.

"I don't like it. It feels like death."

He chuckles. "You should go to bed. We're leaving for the castle tomorrow. We have to meet Undyne and...my brother."

*

Flowey wraps loosely around your shoulders, comfortably lying on your collarbone. The lace isn't very comfortable to sleep in, but it's better than the tunic. "Flowey?" You ask. It looks up at you. "Yes, human?"

"Were...are there other Karrin's?"

Flowey frowns. You notice one of its petals is torn, the leaves are a little wilted. "Yes. There are many timelines. There are many versions of you, of me, of Sans and the other monsters. There are other versions of humanity."

"Are all the versions of me...good?"

"No." It replies. You're thankful for its honesty. "Do I kill you?" Flowey nods. "W-when you fall on your feet, that's when I know you and Sans will kill me. One way or another." It smiles. "You hit your head this time. I just felt something was different."

"Am I always evil?" You balk.

"This i-is the first time you've..." It heaves a little sigh. "No. Not always evil. But you're never quite good either." Flowey replies sadly. "Sometimes, I dream you've killed me out of kindness. A toughness to spare me from the world because I ask you to. Sometimes I don't seem to know who you are and I'm only in your way."

You sigh and lean back into the pillow. You're always evil? No wonder Sans was confused. The words hurt as you can only imagine the pain you've inflicted. You push it away. You can't change what happened, only what happens next.

After a moment you frown. "I-is this Sans' bed?"

"You think Papyrus would let you in his room?" Flowey asks with an eyebrow quirked. You chuckle. "No, definitely not."

"Why do I feel like something happens with me and Sans?"

Flowey looks at you curiously. "You say that like you have feelings for him."

"Wait, what?" You turn red at the thought. How would that even...? You shake your head to clear your mind. "I meant more like...it feels like, something bad."

"You've killed him a lot. He's killed you a lot. You've both killed lots of people together." You grimace at that thought.

"You should sleep." Flowey says, booping your nose. "Timelines are weird. They aren't definite predictors. Just because something happens often, doesn't mean it will always happen. You're kind of proof of that." It beams at you, you're filled with DETERMINATION and smile back.

You roll over in bed, curling into the fetal position and pull the blankets around you. They smell like...burning wood. You frown. How unexpected. Flowey grumbles a little as you adjust to get comfortable. The bed is too soft for your taste, but then again you have muscle and organs and skin. Maybe soft was better when you were just bones?

You're asleep before you realize it.

***

_The flower explodes into a ball of fire before you can grasp it. You frown, you really would've enjoyed destroying the annoying thing._

_You look up. And up. Your jaw drops as you crane your head back to see a massive goat-headed monster. It chuckles, though rumbling it sounds feminine._

_She kneels down to see you better. Bloodshot eyes take you in. "Well, hello human. Seems you've wandered into my domain." Her teeth glisten. "I'll enjoy picking your bones clean."_

_"Yeah, try it, fuck-face!" You scream in defiance. She laughs as you pull out your pocket-knife._

_In a deft movement you pounce, driving the knife into her chest._

_You smile wickedly as she turns to dust around you._

*

_You prod the flower, it whines and swats at your hand weakly. You laugh shortly. "How do I get to the king?" You ask. "I want to help the monsters wipe out humanity."_

_You uproot it a moment before a ball of fire explodes on the rocks. It screams pitifully. "Hey, I'm having a conversation." You turn to the massive goat-woman._

_"I've killed you before, I'll do it again." You growl at her._

_She laughs in your face. You drop the flower and charge her, exploding her to dust. She is so easy to kill and so annoying._

_You decide to make sure she will never bother you again._

_You return and wait for her. Over, and over, and over, and over, and over again. Until the last time you see her, you see the confused terror in her eyes when she approaches. She doesn't know why she's afraid of you, but the fear has been soaked through her timelines. Her deaths outweighing her living lines. You have saturated her entire existence in death, terror and ash._

_In only the span of a couple hours of your own time._

_You enjoy this. You revel in the anguish you have caused her. She will forever be afraid of your face, but she will never be able to understand why._

_You try again...  
_

*

_You uproot the small flower, it whimpers. It refused to talk to you. You realize you embedded second-hand fear into this creature by forcing it to witness the death of that first goat-woman a thousand times over._

_Your face twists in disgust as you shred it. "Useless."_

_The sound of crunching gravel, you turn and face the sound. A blood red light glows in the darkness. It comforts you. You do not like this feeling.  
_

_"Well, well. A new human." A voice rumbles._

_You stare back at the light, eyes going wide as it flickers out and appears in front of you. The light belongs to the left eye socket of a skull. You shuffle back, putting distance between you two. "Now then, is that anyway to greet a new friend?"_

_You scoff, hands raised to defend yourself._

_A smile that seems so familiar, a glint of gold. Familiar? Your heart pounds. There must be timelines you have yet to see, you still have to work to be the alpha timeline._

_"Follow me, human." That voice. It fills you with DETERMINATION. He turns and you follow, trusting the excitement in your gut._

*

You toss in your sleep. Flowey tries to comfort you, knowing you have to face so much tomorrow. It lays on your neck, glancing hesitantly up at you. It closes its eyes, hoping you can return to a peaceful slumber.

*

_"Howdy..."_

_You look down. A smiling flower stares up at you. It winks. You blink back in surprise. "I'm Flowey, Flowey the flower!"_

_This memory fades quickly._

_A warm embrace. The smell of pie. A barely contained laugh. These too, fade too fast to place them. A joking handshake. Was that...spaghetti?  A red cape, lab coat, armor, pink heels?, barking, echoing voices..._

_E M P T Y. E Y E S._

_A joke...blue coat._

Blue.

_The smell of burning wood._

_"Take care of yourself, kid. Cause someone really cares about you."_

*

You open your eyes and see the jaggedly painted ceiling. Your head pounds. Your heart aches. Flowey wipes a few tears from your cheek. You didn't know you were crying.

You wipe your face quickly and smile at Flowey. Your dreams are a jumbled mess. One part stood out.

The color blue, the smell of burning wood, someone...cares about you.

You're filled with DETERMINATION.

You throw your feet from the bed. "Th-theres still a few hours before Sans is up. You should rest!" Flowey pipes up.

"No." You cradle it in your hand. "Somethings wrong. Something is very, very wrong."

"What do you mean?" it asks, tilting back to look at you.

You don't know what you mean. But you have to go. You don't know why. "I-I just..." You stand, grabbing your robe. "Blue." You whisper. "There's not enough blue here." You mumble, confusing Flowey.

Something flashes before you, a fiercely burning blue eye. An angry shout from a voice that should never shout. Terror grips you.

You fall to your knees, clutching your chest. You can't breathe. Tears flow and you can't stop them. "I'm sorry, I'm so so-sorry..." You sob.

_"Just give up...I did."_

You cry harder. Flowey is frantic, trying to shush you. "You'll wake him, he was barely mad when he threw you around earlier. Don't wake him!" It whisper-shouts.

You feel your spine crawl and clouds of dust flash before your eyes, monsters melting, begging, running...dying. Why does it hurt so fucking much?

A red cape falls in the lightly falling snow and you choke. Empty eyes stare at you, silent, terrifying rage.

You want to push the images away, but you need to see what y o u ' v e . . . d o n e. You control your sobs now, Flowey watches in deep concern as your eyes go wide and staring.

_"Dirty brother killer."_

_A flash of blue, heavy, screaming lasers, bones?_

_"...don't say I didn't warn you."_

You shake your head when you think it's over. Why couldn't you see their face? The face of one you fought, you only killed him once but he killed you thousands of times.

"Don't say...I didn't...warn you." You slowly repeat. Floweys eyes go wide.

You shake yourself again and stand, tying the robe securely around your shoulders and pulling on your boots. You gently kiss Flowey's forehead and pinch its cheek. It rubs absently at the pinch with its leaf and eyes you with concern.

"K-Karrin? What are you doing?"

"I don't know Flowey."

It wraps more securely around your shoulders. You reach for the door knob and march into the hall. The house is dark but you feel someone watching you. Slowly you creep to the stairs and carefully descend. They're so uneven you have a hard time not losing your balance.

You reach the bottom when you feel the icy breath on the back of your neck. You freeze. Something is shoved into your hands before you're spun like a top. You finally find your feet. Sans' red eye lights up his menacing smile. He leans closer, his left hand ignites and you see the faint red glow of bones rising to surround you both from the floor.

No escape.

The thing in your hand feels cold, unnatural. Like death. A creeping, dark feeling makes your heart pound with excitement. He's weaker than you, you can slice him open with one quick motion but you know he would make you work for the kill. The movement is so achingly familiar, you almost lust for it. The raw power in a fight to the death with this skeleton is something you're suddenly craving. Every time it's a little different. He says something else, he reacts casually then angrily, joking darkly with you. The kind of jokes that make your blood run cold with anticipation.

So exhilarating this feeling! He always bests you, always shows you something new and fascinating! The only enemy to really challenge you, the one you will drag your broken body to with a smile.

You throw the weapon to the side in shock and back up. You're panting with the effort it took to release it.

Sans' eye narrows, his smile falters.

You cover your mouth to hold back the scream of pure rage, you're so furious with yourself for not engaging in the fight. He wanted it! He came for you, he shoved the weapon in your hands, he trapped you both! He wanted to fight and you denied not only him, but yourself that fulfillment.

You can't hold it in any longer and throw back your head and scream, a demonic sound tears from you as you fall to your knees. You're certain your lungs will collapse from the effort. It feels like your throat is shredding.

When your rage subsides you gasp for air. Wheezing and coughing you lean forward to fleck the floor with blood. Your throat is on fire.

You gradually catch your breath and reach up instinctively to comfort Flowey, but it's not on your shoulders.

You see a shuddering Flowey cowering behind Sans. He looks hurt, his shoulders slumped, his eyes softly glowing white in their sockets. Your heart aches again at the sadness you see.

You sit on your calves, swallowing blood and stare up at the tortured animal you created. Images flash, lingering.

***

_Sans laughs manically as he dodges you, throwing a barrage of red bones at you. Intentionally slicing his shirt, his coat, just barely missing the invisible skin that lies beneath. You know even the smallest of cuts from you would kill him instantly. You just can't control your own power, you've never needed to._

_You don't bother dodging the bones after a while, taunting him with your near-immortality. You've never seen him go so insane. You cackle wildly. He screams and you taunt him some more, slicing his hood off. You pounce on him, holding your sickle underneath the base of his skull._

_You lean close to watch the expressions flash behind his eyes. Humiliation, defeat, rage, obsession. He struggles to catch his breath, what looks like sweat covers his skull. You pull the blade up and he follows your movements, controlling him with the curved blade._

_You laugh loudly at a great idea. Taking his right hand with your left and pulling him closer with the blade you make him dance with you, absolutely savoring the shame and hatred in his eyes._

_So expressive those eyes! They are easily your favorite feature of your skeleton._

_"What do you say, Sansy?" You sing as you pull him closer, making him wrap his left arm around your waist to embrace you. He doesn't respond at first. You growl and pull on the blade, reminding him how close he is to death._

_"Th-thank you for s-sparing me, Karrin." he manages to mutter._

_You plant a kiss on his teeth, for a moment feeling his invisible skin. There is no attraction in your "affection", only relishing the deepening of Sans' shame._

_"Any time, Sansy." You sing, twirling with him._

***

You blink sadly up at Sans. His eyes have gone dark.

You beckon Flowey who hesitantly crawls up your arm. You don't look at its face, not wanting to become DETERMINED or see its fear.

No words can ever explain the shame and regret you feel as you look at Sans. He blinks, his red eye returning. His expression is blank as he stares down at you.

After a long moment of unbroken eye contact you back down first and slowly stand. The slowly circling ghostly bones surrounding you both fade into mist.

You turn and walk to the door. You know leaving your back exposed is dangerous, but you would welcome death from Sans with open arms. Anything to cleanse yourself of the overwhelming shame you felt.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Flowey knew a lot about the undertale universe and how resets worked. I feel like if he were kinder, he would have shared everything he knew with Frisk. Also my first thought after the Sans fight in Genocide was that if he can bleed, he has to have skin. But that it would be invisible? Ye... I also like the idea of being DETERMINED heals you, like in the game.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suicide reference in this chapter

 

You aren't sure how you know the way, but you trudge through the snow toward the ruins. The blizzard is endless. Faster than you expected your limbs lose feeling until your legs pound through the snow drifts numbly.

If only your heart could be so easily relieved.

Flowey mumbles encouragement into your ear. You can hear its teeth chatter mildly. You feel yourself growing tired. You shake your head every so often, pulling yourself out of your daze.

After a while though, it proves too much and you collapse into the snow. "Come on Karrin! Yo-you have to get up. Stay DETERMINED!"

You snarl weakly at the word and blink slowly in the snow. A shadow you had not noticed following you approaches cautiously. The shadow looms and swallows the world whole.

***

You awake in blistering pain. Something covers your face, a warm cloth. You grimace, groaning in pain.

"Easy m-my child." A rumbling voice soothes, gently brushing your hair. You recognize that voice.

You sit up, the cloth falls and you see the goat-headed woman you murdered so many times it rippled across all of her timelines, the first one you decided to damage so permanently. She stammers when she sees your face, her eyes wide.

"I-I! No! NO!" She screeches. Her chair falls back and she scrambles away from you.

You reach for her, trying to speak but your voice cracks painfully. Your skin pulls, splitting at your fingertips. You shudder at the blackened digits as the warm cloths wrapping your arm fall away.

Flowey comforts the petrified goat-woman. She slowly calms herself as you stare in horror at your frostbitten skin.

After a moment more she collects herself and carefully approaches you. She smiles kindly and picks the cloths up from the floor. As she gently re-wraps your skin you start crying. She's so utterly selfless, so gracious. You can't handle it.

She gently ties the wrappings and tries to coax you into bed again. Sobbing quietly you pull her to you in tight embrace.

A name rises from the depths of your memory. Your voice cracks, your vocal cords twitch and burn, but you manage to speak. "T-Toooriel."

She jumps in your arms as you sob harder. "Shh, hush now, child." She soothes, her large paws rub circles on your back. You wail until you are exhausted, clutching Toriel as hard as you can. Ignoring the burning pain in your limbs.

You know you can't make up the horrific things you've done to this woman. The woman who...

_"Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the flower! And I'm your B E S T F R I E N D!" A mad dash of white bullets try to pelt you but a small burst of fire stops them. Flowey is thrown to the side._

_...._

_"Hello, my child...take my hand...my name is Toriel... Be good, okay...?"_

But you weren't good, you were so far from good you don't even deserve to remember how kind she was.

You have no energy to cry any longer. Toriel ever so gently lays you back in bed, softly tucking the blanket around you.

She smiles warmly, wiping the tears from her fur. You see the woman who first greeted you in the underground. She's shrunk, the exaggerated features of her teeth, horns and muscle have faded. Her eyes are no longer sunken in and blood red.

You manage a small smile. "Thank you, my child." She sobs.

Though you fight it, her happy tears fill you with DETERMINATION.

***

When you wake again, you are disappointed that you are no longer in pain. You deserved to be punished for every sin tenfold.

Toriel had fallen asleep beside you in the rocking chair. A book lay open on her lap, her glasses have slid down her snout a little. Flowey is snoozing in a pot on a shelf just over her shoulder.

Despite yourself you smile.

Maybe, just maybe you could restore order to the underground, return the ones who loved you to their former selves.

Your heart aches at the thought of how much havoc and horror you wreaked across the timelines to cause them to become so unbelievably corrupted. How many times had you killed them, tortured them, bludgeoned them to the point of begging for death and refused, just to see them suffer a moment longer?

You purposefully ignore the fact that you can never make this up Sans. You know he will always be damaged by what you had done. You would let him kill you until time ended if it would make up for it.

Why? Why did you do this? Why couldn't you remember your previous timelines this reset like you had every time before this? What did you do? Why was it so hard to remember the first time?

It came in waves. The blue light, the gentle voices, the tenderness and kindness.

You wondered if any of the other monsters were aware of the timelines like Sans and Flowey. You suspected Toriel may have some understanding too.

You were content to watch her sleep lightly, your sweet goat-mom.

****

After a few days you forced yourself to leave the ruins. You wanted nothing more than to bury yourself in the deepest part of the underground and make Toriel laugh with your terrible jokes. You could listen to her belly-laugh, eat her butterscotch pies and read stories about snails for the rest of eternity.

But you had to continue. You had to fix this massive mistake and she understood that, perhaps better than the first time you left her. She packed you a camping backpack with "sup-pies" and gave Flowey a lightweight boot to hop in that fit perfectly into the backpack.

Toriel gave you some new clothes, ones that were better suited to you. A cozy sweater, jeans and tennis shoes. You kept the robe, you wouldn't part with it. She made you pack extra socks and mittens to protect against the cold.

You had the strangest urge to cut your hair, so you asked for Toriels help. She snipped bangs that swept over your forehead and framed your face better, then trimmed the rest to barely cover your ears.

When you saw your new reflection in the mirror you were filled DETERMINATION. There was something so very right about the look. Your hair had been far too long before. It was so wild there was no way you could've combed through all the knots anyway.

Flowey was looking better after the few days of rest and peace, its petals were a rich golden hue and its wilted leaves had sprung back to life. You tried to convince it to stay in the dozy light of the ruins, where it would be safe, but it refused. Flowey demanded to be taken with you. And to be honest, you appreciated the company more than you could express. You were too cowardly to make this journey alone.

Toriel guides you to the door that will open on the road to Snowdin. You walk hand-in-hand enjoying the peace of the moment. You both walk slowly, not wanting to rush the separation.

You talk about snails, bugs and pies, making puns whenever possible. Flowey laughs and you realize you haven't heard it laugh before. Something about it is unsettling on a deep level. You ignore the feeling and are glad your friend is in better spirits.

The door looms before you and Toriel before either of you wanted it to.

Toriel's bottom lip trembles as she pulls you into a fierce hug. "I know you are good, my child. I've always known. S-somewhere along the way reality was torn asunder, but-" she pulls back smiling at you. "I know you can put everything in order again. We can never change who we really are at the core, my child."

She holds a paw over your chest, a bright red heart glows into existence when she pulls away. Her eyes fill with tears. "Your soul...it looks as as untainted as the first time we met. Do not let the troubles of your journey wear you down. You are strong, Frisk." She pulls you into another tight hug as that name echoes in your mind.

_"Why, Frisk?"_

_You cackle. "I am not Frisk, Frisk is D E A D!" Blurrily you see a blue light. "I am, CHARA! THE DEMON THAT COMES WHEN YOU SPEAK IT'S NAME!"_

You grip Toriel hard. The similarity from your chosen name and the name of the 'demon' are too close to be a coincidence. Chara....Chara-n....Karrin.

But Frisk. This name you like. It's calming.

Toriel turns and opens the door to the underground. You both brace for the never-ending blizzard to blast you with frigid air. But the bone-chilling cold never comes.

The three of you gasp as you see the forest and road before you. The blizzard had stopped. Toriel laughs in amazement. "You see, my child?! Look what your kindness has already done!"

Flowey looks up at the dark "sky" in awe. "You did this, Karrin."

"Frisk." You quietly correct.

Flowey turns, smiling broadly at you. "You did this, Frisk."

Willingly you are filled with DETERMINATION.

You march down the road proudly surveying the forest around you. "Every time you become DETERMINED you become a little stronger, Frisk." Flowey tells you. "You gain hope, your wounds will heal faster and you can always return to that point in your current timeline. If you um...die...you should be able to revive yourself with the DETERMINATION you have accumulated."

"I don't think I'll be returning to any points, Flowey. I'm...fixing this mess I've made and I'm going to leave it at that."

"What if you die, Frisk?" It seemed to enjoy saying your new name. You enjoyed hearing it.

You shrug. "I guess I'll die."

Flowey shivers. "Don't die before you fix everything, Frisk. C-can you at least promise me that you'll come back to fix the world?"

You think about this very hard. You remember the only way you truly felt you could make your sins up to Sans, by letting him kill you over and over for all of time.

"I can promise that, Flowey." You reply easily. "I'll wait to die for real until after I fix this."

Flowey seemed pleased with your answer and contentedly looks around you two. "We should be reaching Snowdin soon, Frisk." It says cheerily.

You mount the crest of a hill and stop. Snowdin lays below. You see monsters bustling around, clearing snow from their roofs, from in front of their doors. Kids are screaming in delight, throwing snowballs at each other.

The biggest smile pulls at your face. You want nothing more than to bound into Snowdin and be a little kid again. "They look so happy." You breathe.

"You did that, Frisk." Flowey says. You laugh, its using every excuse to say your name when talking to you and you just love it.

"Flowey?"

"Yes, Frisk?"

You laugh again and pull the tiny flower to your face, "planting" a kiss on its cheek. "You can say my name as much as you want." Flowey laughs happily. "Frisk, Frisk, Frisk, Frisk, FRISK!" It does a little dance in its boot and you crack up.

"Frisk?" A cold voice asks casually.

You look to your right and see Sans leaning against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest, one leg propped against the trunk. He looks up smiling as his eye burns red. It's even more intense than the last time you saw him.

Flowey ducks into your bag.

"So you're taking your old name back, dressing like..." His smile falters as his sentence fades. It returns, looking even more sinister. "You really are just fucking with everyone, Karrin." He adds, looking very pleased with the idea and shoving away from the tree.

You don't want to run, you want nothing more than to stand right there like a statue as he slowly saunters to you. A part of you hopes he just kills you right there, to get it over with, but you realize how selfish that is.

Sans' head tilts curiously when he stops only inches from you. "I love it." He whispers before looking back over Snowdin. "This way, they can have a few moments of unbridled joy before we slaughter their familes."

You can't speak. Sans turns back to you lazily. He tilts his head again, looking you over from head to toe and back. You're still frozen in place. "Looking like that, they'll never see it coming. I sure didn't."

It looks like an eyebrow rises in question. "Giving me the silent treatment?" He asks.

After a moment he chuckles, running a hand over his face. "I remember one timeline where you didn't speak to me for over a year. It damn near drove me insane. Everyone else was dead, you refused to open the barrier and you would just sit there and stare. You didn't even fight. It was fucking _maddening_." He growls. "I tried skipping through time just to hear your fucking voice, the only person in the little hell you made for me. But you wouldn't even give me that, you didn't even look surprised when I would pop up anywhere and everywhere." His pupils have vanished now.

"Do you remember that, Karrin?" His tone sends chills down your spine. "Do you remember what you did next?" You see his fists clench in his pockets. His voice is barely above a whisper now, he's shaking in anger. "You. Killed. Yourself."

Your eyes widen in horror.

"You waited until I was asleep, exhausted from chasing you across time. Then you crawled into bed with me and fucking gutted yourself like a god-damn deer."

The kids below laugh and yell. In the distance you hear...birds?

"I woke up so fucking happy." He laughs just this side of hysterical. "You were paying attention to me, _finally._ " He snarls. He laughs again, loud enough that some of the playing in Snowdin fades. If you could move you would have jumped. Your heart hammers in your chest.

Sans' covers his face with his hands and he continues to laugh uncontrollably. "But you got me! You pranked me pretty good! Leaving me alone in a world without sound, without contact. Making me want your company, making me _need_ your attention and then ripping it all away. What a great joke!"

He looks at you now, the light in his eyes are tiny pinpricks. "Imagine my face when I discovered that human bodies don't burst into dust when they die. Imagine my horror when I think that you're still alive in that state." He leans close. "I want you to imagine that, Karrin. I want you to imagine the mind-shattering horror that was my life in that moment."

You're terrified to even breathe.

"I waited." He continues, stepping closer until you're both touching. "I waited so long for that reset." Sans looks down at you, his face blank. "I waited in that bed, clutching your dead body for weeks until I finally died."

He slowly reaches for your shoulders. You let him.

"You waited until I died before you reset that timeline, Karrin." His voice is so soft you can barely hear him. "I keep saying your name, even though it chips away at my sanity a little more each time because you aren't Frisk. Frisk died an infinite number of timelines ago. You. Are. Karrin. The demon so terrible it ate Chara whole and then came back for me, again, and again and again."

You begin to tremble in his grip. "You can call yourself whatever the fuck you want. I know what you really are, Karrin. And you will never have my forgiveness, no matter how many times you beg, no matter how many lives you restore, no matter how many times you throw yourself at my feet, no matter how many times you try to let me 'get you back.' Because a revenge fitting enough for you doesn't exist, KARRIN." His eye flashes red, that pressure in your chest implodes.

From the edge of your vision you can see a shining red heart agasint your sweater. The power constricts around your chest, painfully pulling your body down while Sans forces you upright. Your bones resonate in agony.

You know he wants to hear you scream so you cry out with everything you have. A dark, satisfied smile nearly splits his skull.

Almost as quickly his face falls and he releases you, throwing you back in the snow. "I won't give you the satisfaction of thinking that helped." He snarls. You blink and he's gone.

Your breath comes in short, panicked gasps. You grab your chest and struggle to breathe. "F-Frisk?" Flowey asks fearfully. You can't stop hyperventilating. Your other hand grabs your hair and balls into a fist.

"Frisk!" Flowey yells as you fall to your side in the snow. You curl into a tight ball, eyes wide and trembling with terror.

What am I?

"WHAT AM I?!" You scream.

****

You sit in Grilbys bar with your back against the juke-box. It's been a grueling three weeks since your last encounter with Sans'. You haven't dreamt of any more timelines, you've barely slept. Too terrified that you would wake with one glowing red eye swimming the darkness above you.

Grillby sets something strong in a clear glass in front of you. You smile weakly in thanks and he nods back.

You know he has always been an orange fire man, but it's strange to see him orange. You think you've seen too many distorted timelines with him being blue to be used to his normal form now.

For the briefest moment you see Sans decapitating the quiet, long-suffering bartender. He looks to you as you cackle and clap in delighted approval. A small light sparks in his eyes.

A blink and the image is gone, though the satisfied feeling lingers.

Grillby was the longest to coax back to his original form. You aren't really sure why, but you suspect because you weren't the one who continued to kill him. You couldn't remember a single time you had raised a hand in violence against him. It was always Sans.

But eventually, through several weeks of really terrible jokes about being a "hottie," "hot-head," and being "on fire" during a dinner rush he slowly returned to himself. As close as he could get anyway. You were worried he thought you were insane and was just indulging your drunken antics, but after a while you began to recognize when the quiet fire-man was laughing with you.

The patrons of the bar are talking happily, the color returned to their cheeks, the laughter returned to their voices.

You can't bring yourself to smile.

It took two solid weeks to set everyone in Snowdin back to normal, with Grillby being the last. There were lots of tears, many exhausted hours and more DETERMINATION than you thought you had.

One of the monster kids, the one with no arms, was the second longest to make your past timelines up to. You had betrayed him many times. You had taken him on a long walk through the woods and showed him the dog guards, his eyes shone with delight when you petted lesser dogs neck all the way across a meadow.

He rolled in the snow, howling with laughter. You wondered how lesser dog managed to get its neck back to normal when you left.

You feel like there are things that will never be the same, things irreparably damaged. You notice the cute dog couple is less snuggly and nuzzly than what you can dimly recall from your first timeline. They seem content in Grillby's, cutely kissing each other every now and then. But some of it seems hollow, like they aren't sure what's wrong.

You know that killing Dogamy first will send the Dogaressa into a fit of rage, she will attack so quickly you've almost died at her hand more than once. But...killing the Dogaressa first will disable Dogamy. He can't fight back, not even for revenge. He just cries and waits for the killing blow...

A deep sigh escapes you and you drink half of whatever horrid thing Grillby gave you. After a few more drinks you pay your tab and walk to the SnowdINN. You see Sans and Papyrus' house in the distance. The lights are all off.

A ragged darkness circles the house, the last one in Snowdin to have the dampened colors of what the townspeople now call "The UnderFell", a point lower than the underground for the monsters. The evil cloud that had threatened to steal all their happiness.

You are simply blown away by the kindness they show you, even somehow knowing what you've done. Flowey thinks its because you look and act like your original self, the very first version that came to the underground.

It thinks that because that is the "core" memory of you in every monster that you can remind them of it so easily, even if some take more encouraging than others. It reminds you to be DETERMINED when you set off each morning.

You don't think you can do this without Flowey. Its help and companionship have been invaluable to you.

You stagger to the INN. Flowey was sleeping soundly in the lobby. You wobble on your feet before you drag yourself up the steps to your room.

As you fumble with your keys you wonder where Papyrus is. He's next on your list. You plan to make ammends with every monster in every area. You can't recall all of them yet, but you feel like you couldn't take another step if you were burdened with the awful memories all at once.

You drunkenly decide to go to Waterfall tomorrow.

You nod to yourself at this fantastic idea.

But you know you won't. You can't bring yourself to even look at the skeleton brothers house for longer than a moment before another wave of depression washes over you, let alone walk so closely past it to leave Snowdin.

You manage to get the door open and you stagger inside, dropping the keys to the floor and kicking the door shut.

You slide out of your robe, kick off your shoes and are halfway out of your sweater when you feel it. The feeling that Sans was watching, that creeping darkness that crawled across your back.

You struggle out of your sweater and huff and puff, searching for him as your shirt falls back around your waist. You see nothing in the swirling darkness. A cold hand grips your chin and you freeze.

"Did you miss me, Karrin?" Sans purrs into your ear.

You shiver, unable to speak. He pulls on your chin and gently makes you nod in agreement.

"Aw, poor thing." He whispers. "Fret not, I'm here now." His eye blazes into life inches from your face.

Your eyes go wide. He snaps his fingers and the room is lit by softly glowing bones. He looks worse than the last time you saw him. Before you can stop yourself you reach for the crack above his right eye. He freezes at your touch.

You frown in worry, gently stroking the crack. The invisible skin beneath your fingers feels swollen. What on earth had he done to get such an injury? Sans closes his eyes and grips your hand tightly. He half-laughs, sounding relieved as he leans into your palm.

"Karrin..." he breathes. You slowly pull him close to you, carefully embracing him. He's thinner, you notice. You can almost feel where his bones jut against his shoulders. For a moment you are at peace because you can feel how calm Sans is.

"Bring Papyrus back. Tomorrow." He growls, hugging you so tightly your spine cracks. "Bring him home to me."

With that you're alone in your room again. You fall back onto the bed, you feel utterly drained.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Late Edit: Forgot to add that Toriel was planning to eat you once she figured out if you were healthy enough to eat. She trolls the edge of the woods as well as the ruins for fallen monsters and humans.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have some instability and timeline shenanigans...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The " *.... " prompt is like a small pause. The last option before a new prompt is the one you have chosen.

Your head pounds with an awful hangover. You wince when you bend over to tie your shoes. Flowey smiles sympathetically.

"Why not wait until you feel better?" It asks.

"Sans said today, so I have to find Papyrus today."

It nods weakly and heaves a little sigh. "It just...doesn't feel right." Flowey adds. "He's so unstable, I've never seen him like this. Sans is usually so decisive."

You stretch your legs out and pull the sweater on over your white shirt. "That's other me's fault." You say, packing Flowey into your bag. "And current me is going to make up for it. No matter what it takes. So if he wants to see his brother, his real brother, I'm going to make it happen."

You pause with the robe in your hands, your fingers caressing the soft fabric. The robe has memories laced in it. It almost feels like rabbit fur, but you know it isn't.

A blush tinges your cheeks. You know how soft the fabric is on bare skin. You shake yourself and pull the robe over your shoulders. You hate yourself a little more for never appreciating what you had, and even more for twisting beautiful moments into a chance for sadism.

Your eyes close tightly for a moment. These memories are harder to push away and you hate it, you hate how much it fascinates you.

"Frisk?" Flowey questions.

You blink, smiling at the tiny flower. "Sorry, just uh, never mind." It notices the way you try to hide your face as you lift the bag over your shoulders. "Heh, looks like someones feeling...Frisk-y?"

You burst out laughing, covering your face with your hands. "Oh jeeze!" You say, suddenly burning with embarrassment. Flowey laughs at your reaction.

"Guess you've seen more of the past timelines?" Flowey questions as you leave the INN, waving to the cute little bunny-monster. She tells you to come back soon. You hope you can.

That little blush returns but is quickly washed away with shame. "I-I was pretty awful to him. I mean, to everyone, but especially to Sans."

You look back at the flower poking out of your bag. "How did you know about that? I thought Sans and I killed you most timelines."

It nods. "You both did, but it wasn't always at the same time every time. Sometimes I was brought along as a um 'pet.' You two would keep me until you got bored. Not all of it is really clear. You two," It pauses, glancing up at you then back at the snowy ground. "Had one very, very twisted relationship."

You gulp and wonder how it can joke about something so dark. But that did explain some of the looks Sans had given you, some of the ones that were just a little off.

You sigh, clearing your head with a deep lungful of cold air. You aren't sure where to find Papyrus, but you know he's not in Snowdin. You vaguely remember him saying something about meeting a monster named...Undyne?

As you pass the skeleton brother's home you feel a chill crawl down your spine. That ragged shadow still looms over the log cabin. The windows are dark, you see no one staring down at you but you feel his eyes on you.

You pick up the pace until you're out of Snowdin. A loud splash makes you jump with a yelp. A massive block of ice has rolled over in the river, in the distance you see the wolf throwing huge blocks into the fast-flowing river. He waves happily at you and you wave back after recovering from your little shock.

***

The monsters of Waterfall are different than Snowdin. This area of the underground was desolate and eerily quiet when you began, now the quiet echoes of the silvery flowers and the playful antics of the monsters fill the water-logged, dimly sparkling caves.

You had to take your shoes off and roll up your jeans to keep from getting soaked. The robe was rolled into a tight ball and Flowey balanced on top of it in the bag.

The ground beneath your toes was squishy and reminded you of cold oatmeal. The excess water should be better when you completely fix the area, right? The only dry places were the platforms around the roaring waterfalls.

Fifteen. You managed to revert fifteen monsters to their original versions. You weren't sure how many more were left, and you hadn't run into any monster that knew where Papyrus was. No one had seen him for a few weeks.

You sat down to rest on a platform and pulled a cinnamon bun from your bag. You wanted to save Toriels pie for a little while longer. Your legs dangle over the platform as you watch the water cascade below.

Where is Papyrus? You wonder, munching on your bun.

Waterfall is bigger than you anticipated. Maybe you had just become used to Snowdin and the new surroundings seemed bigger than they were?

You sigh and ask Flowey what time it is, though the heavy lids already tell you it's getting late. It gives a small yawn before drowsily closing its eyes. "Its almost midnight."

Your eyes close and your body slumps forward in despair. You can't even finish chewing the bite of cinnamon bun in your mouth. You've let him down.

You look down at the bun in your hand and toss it into the waterfall, forcing yourself to swallow the bite in your mouth. Where could Papyrus be? You wonder as you pull the robe from your bag. Flowey is snoozing already.

You smile and make yourself a pallet on the platform, pulling another shirt from your bag and rolling it into the hood to make a pillow. It takes a while to get comfortable, you can't sleep on your side so you flop onto your back and try to get your mind to shut up.

After a while your thoughts quiet, but you still feel upset you couldn't find Papyrus for Sans today. You had hoped you could make a big improvement in Sans' mental state if you could bring his real brother home to him. Something felt wrong, like Flowey had said earlier.

Your unease continues into your dreams.

***

_Cedar...you realize the smell is Cedar, not burning wood._

_That blue eye looks down at you, a demonic-floating skull hangs over the silhouette of a shoulder._

_"If you were ever my friend, you won't come back."_

_You cough, laughing as blood gurgles from your lips. An impossibly loud roar fills your ears before a white-hot blast of light blows you away. But for just a moment you can see their face._

_(It's Sans? You wonder for a moment at the memory. But the eye is blue, his coat is blue. His face is so tired, more tired than the Sans you know.)_

_He knows you'll be coming back, but he has to try to reach the person you used to be. A part of him still hopes you'll stop. But as long as you keep coming, he'll keep fighting. He won't break, you'll have to kill him first._

_This time you know what you'll do, you know how to break him._

_You reach back as far as you can, back to the original timeline all those lives ago. You're not going to do anything, you're just going to observe this time and try to find the best point of attack. You do this from time to time, to refresh your memory of someones weaknesses._

_But the original is the only time everyone is honest with you, so you decide to choke down your spite for your original self and watch.  
_

_You watch yourself and you notice something. Sans seems uneasy around you now. Your innocent self marches proudly, confidently through the underground but there's something new this time. Something that's never happened before._

_Sans meets you before you head to the core to find Asgore, and inadvertently Mettaton. He invites you to a quick dinner._

_You and your original self listen intently to his story, the words brand new to you both. Your innocent self is transfixed, you used to admire Sans, look up to him like a goofy older brother. You can't directly change anything with this version of yourself, but you've accidentally tipped off the one being in your reality who could see through your true self to the passenger who tagged along._

_After a while Sans pauses, you feel the smile fade from your original self's face. Did the music just stop?_

_"You know what would've happened...if I hadn't made that promise? Buddy..."_

_He looks at you and both of your selves' hearts skip a beat. His eyes are empty. "You'd be dead where you stand." Sans' voice is cold. You both shiver._

_He laughs, his eyes returning to their normal white. He tells you he's joking, and your innocent self is calmed. You feel yourself smile in relief. Your future self is appalled a twenty year-old can be so naive._

_But, your future self is pleased. Though you can't change what your original self has done, you've changed the very core of your memories with Sans. He will always be suspicious of you now, not sure if that little shadow behind your eyes is benign or in control._

_With this new information, you return to your current timeline and reset it. This time you'll break him before the final fight._

_You chuckle to yourself at the brilliant ideas you have. You'll refrain from killing everyone this time, you want to see what Sans does now that you've changed the way he sees the original you._

_The next time, you kill ONLY his brother. On a whim, you try once with killing everyone but Papyrus. You kill some monsters, you kill all the monsters. One time you go back and kill everyone twice, just to see the confusion on their face when you challenge them again so soon._

_The last time you see Sans' blue eye is when you've made it to the judgement hall without killing anyone. You speak to him and then return to just before he initiated the conversation. You search the judgement hall and slowly back up, waiting for that tell-tale 'pop' that meant he had jumped into existence._

_You hear it and see the confusion on his face when he sees you standing at the back of the hall. With a wicked smile you back into the hallway and sprint to the beginning, slaughtering everyone, beginning with Toriel._

_They never see it coming._

_There's chaos like you've never experienced, it's so exhilarating! The panic is greater than when you just start a new timeline where you murder everyone instantly. No one knows what to do, its so easy to kill them now that they see you as their friend._

_You get to the judgment hall and slowly make your way to the end, waiting for that 'pop', that just barely noticeable flicker of black._

_Sans appears and you break into the biggest smile._

_For a long moment he's speechless, his eyes small pinpricks of light._

_"What are you?" he asks._

_"I am death." You reply. His eyes go black and you grin wide._

_The fight begins and you lead him on, even letting yourself die once or twice. A few times he catches you off guard. It's the most intense battle with him so far, your hands shake with excitement. Your adrenaline is pumping so hard you can hardly think straight._

_Its incredible._

_You pant and huff as he threatens to use his final move. This is new! You wonder what it is. With deep disappointment you realize it was a trick. Sans struggles to catch his breath, wheezing as what looks like sweat trickles down his skull._

_You howl in rage and rush at him. You are ripped back to the center of the hall each time you rush him._

_"You...can't attack," he huffs, holding his side. "Until...I do.Those are...the rules."_

_You run in every direction, trying to escape, trying to kill him, you throw your knife at him and it magically appears in your hand again._

_You scream again, loud and enraged. How dare he! He did not control this reality, you did! You were only his plaything!_

_"You should...just give up, kid." He says as you fall to your knees, your chest heaving. "I did."_

_You growl in exasperation, glaring at him._

_You wonder how you'll best him this time. You are angry your plan didn't work, but a part of you is impressed with Sans. You hadn't expected him to go all-out. You sit and think for a while and something terrible and magical happens._

_Sans is exhausted. His head nods forward every few seconds, he struggles to keep his eyes open. You sit as still as possible and watch him gradually fall asleep._

_As quietly as possible you stand, lifting the knife from the floor. You lunge, he wakes with a joke already on his teeth, you lunge again surprised at your own agility._

_Sans falls back. He smiles painfully up at you. "Don't say...I didn't warn you, kid."_

_You scoff as he drags himself from the hall. You feel the power you gained from his death lift you higher._

_You go to kill Flowey, a little dissapointed that your fight with Sans had ended. You hadn't felt that alive in many, many timelines. You cut down Flowey before it's spiel even begins. You're bored now._

_You wander through the castle and are overtaken by the darkness._

_For the first time, you meet Chara. She's boring at first. She offers to reset the world, truly reset it to the original timeline, for your soul. This bargain doesn't please you. You decline._

_"You think you will escape?" She asks._

_You frown at her. You know you can escape. You are a god after all. A horrid laugh echoes in the void. It unsettles you._

_"What made you think, Y O U   W E R E  E V E R  I N  C O N T R O L?" She screeches and rushes you, her facade of a face melting._

_For the first time in a very, very long time you are scared. You swing at her when you fight down your fear. She dissipates but something awful happens. Her black soul punches straight into your chest._

_You wheeze in pain as you fall back and land on something solid. Blackness crawls over your chest, slowly swallowing you. You cry out for help, something you can't remember doing, but nobody came. Who would want to save you?_

_You struggle for air, reaching for your DETERMINATION._

_If you can just reset, you can fix this. You can go back to torturing Sans, your favorite pastime._

_You find your DETERMINATION as the last breath leaves your lungs. Chara's soul remains with yours, but you have her in check... You were ALWAYS in control._

_She accompanies you into the new timeline, this one is different. This one has a fearful Flowey, a gruesome Toriel, and the most delectable Sans yet. This reality takes on a darker color tone, blacks, reds, yellows and gray. The areas are more jagged, the monsters cruel._

_This Sans makes the best partner in crime. He fights you, he resists becoming fully yours for a long time, more timelines than you can count. But eventually, he's all yours and yours alone. He comes to your beck and call, he will kill on command. He even remembers your favorite outfit when you return in the underground at every reset._

_Your only qualm with this new world is Papyrus. In the returning resets, he takes it upon himself to try and protect Sans by making him tougher. He's even tried to kill you a few times. The last time Papyrus tried to kill you, Sans murdered him. You let Sans stay in your bed for the very first time that night as reward._

_The timelines after that, Papyrus hated you but never tried to kill you again. He always lost his nerve at the last second._

_****_

You wake with a start, gasping for air. So many questions were answered, but so many more had been asked. You felt like you would never have all the answers.

You almost sit up but a very familiar skull is staring down at you, leaning over your face. Your head is laying in his lap. One of his arms is propped up on his thigh, his head resting in that hand. His free hand is playing with a strand of your hair.

"Good morning, sunshine." Sans sings sarcastically. "Did you have sweet dreams...?"

You hear Flowey yelp in surprise. You wonder how Sans managed to not wake you to get you in this position. He smiles sickly sweet. "I see you've kept the robe. Fond memories?"

Your heart jumps to your throat and you feel a small blush burn your skin.

"So," He starts. "You haven't saved my brother." he made it a statement.

You finally find your voice. "I-I haven't found him yet."

He glances at the hair in his fingers, twirling it. "The water level's fallen a bit." He adds, looking back down at you. "Seems you stopped to save some others, but not him."

"I haven't found Papyrus yet." You repeat, your voice more steady now. He lazily rolls his red eye. "You used to be so much better at finding people. You scouted out every single monster in the underground more than once and slaughtered them all. Did you lose that ability on purpose? Did it go the way of your spine?" You gulp, finding yourself frozen to the spot.

"I'm not spineless, Sans."

He smiles a little wider at that. "Good. I was starting to think there'd be nothing to rip out when I finally kill you."

The words send a thrill through your blood. A dark joke that brings back your urge to fight Sans. Instead you lift a shaking hand to his face. The crack above his eye is gone now, but you can still faintly see where it had been.

He doesn't flinch this time, he sighs and closes his eyes a moment. When they open they are a soft white. You smile up at him, for a moment seeing the first Sans.

You let your hand fall and ask, "Do you know where Papyrus is?"

His hand falls from his face and he shrugs. "Do you even want me to restore him?" You prod. He shrugs again, not looking at you. "I don't trust you anymore." He finally replies. "The past thousand time-lines I could read you like a book. I knew what you wanted. I knew how to make you happy...or at least happy with me."

A flash of black and a crisscross of jagged red bones are floating ominously above you both. Your hands clench tight around each other in quiet shock. Flowey whimpers.

Sans' eye burns red as he leans over you once more. "I don't trust this new Karrin who pretends to be Frisk. So lets go back to what we both know so well, shall we?"

You barely manage a gasp before the bones plummet into you both. For a moment you feel more pain that you thought possible, your lungs refuse to open and inhale. You can't cry out in pain. A puff of dust blows over you and you struggle to hold on.

The bones vanish and you exhale, gurgling frothy blood.

***

RESET?

* YES   NO

*You remember a promise to a friend...

YES    *NO

CONTINUE?

*YES   NO

***

You wake with a start, gasping for air...

You almost sit up but a very familiar skull is staring down at you, leaning over your face. Your head is laying in his lap. One of his arms is propped up on his thigh, his head resting in that hand. His free hand is playing with a strand of your hair.

You tremble this time, knowing he could kill you again any instant.

"Heya..." He whispers, twirling the strand of hair between his fingers. He blinks lazily at you. "You seem...rattled." He adds as you continue to shake, your hands grip each other over your chest.

"Do you re..." He stops, his smile falters a little and he chuckles. "Of course you don't."

Sans' sighs and there's a flash of black, then red. Sharp bones stab up through your body. You cough, blood sprays Sans' face. For a moment his smile broadens at the sight before he dissolves into dust.

***

CONTINUE?

* YES   NO

  YES   *NO

*You remember a promise to a friend...

  YES   *NO

*....

*YES   NO

***

You wake with a start, gasping for air...

A very familiar skull is staring down at you, leaning over your face. Your head is laying in his lap. One of his arms is propped up on his thigh, his head resting in that hand. His free hand is playing with a strand of your hair.

Sans smiles wickedly, dropping your hair.

Bones slam into your sides, crushing your body. You are limp, in agony. Sans cradles your face, leaning over to stare into your eyes as you twitch and die.

***

CONTINUE?

* YES   NO

  YES   *NO

*You remember a promise to a friend...

  YES   *NO

*....

  YES   *NO

*....coward

*YES   NO

***

You wake, slowly opening your eyes.

A very familiar skull is staring down at you, leaning over your face. Your head is laying in his lap. One of his arms is propped up on his thigh, his head resting in that hand. His free hand is playing with a strand of your hair.

Sans laughs hysterically. He stands and throws you into the waterfall, punting Flowey after you.

You slam into something solid in the darkness.

***

CONTINUE?

* YES   NO

***

You wake. You open your eyes.

A very familiar skull is staring down at you, leaning over your face. Your head is laying in his lap. One of his arms is propped up on his thigh, his head resting in that hand. His free hand is playing with a strand of your hair.

Sans jerks you to your feet, spinning you to face him. He snarls in your face and kisses you so hard your lip busts open.

He shoves you away and that familiar pressure lifts you from your chest. You fly up so fast you can't pull your arms up to shield your face from the force of the wind. You slow to a small stop before rocketing down toward the platform.

Just before you hit the wood you freeze. You chance a look at Sans. He smiles at you. You bounce into the platform. You struggle to stand under the weight in your chest. Bones are outlined around you, you try to jump to avoid them but they shove up through the wood and stab through you.

***

CONTINUE?

* YES   NO

***

You wake. You open your eyes.

A very familiar skull is staring down at you, leaning over your face. Your head is laying in his lap. One of his arms is propped up on his thigh, his head resting in that hand.

Sans stares down at you.

He laughs again, he jumps to his feet and pulls you up. That familiar pressure holds you in place. He shoves his hand through your chest. Ribs crack, your lungs give out, for a brief moment in the unbelievable agony you know what it really feels like when his hand grips your heart.

***

CONTINUE?

* YES   NO

   YES   *NO

*I don't blame you

RESET?

*YES   NO

 YES   *NO

...CONTINUE?

*YES   NO

***

You open your eyes.

A very familiar skull is staring down at you, leaning over your face. Your head is laying in his lap.

Sans smiles broadly. In a flash of black he's straddling your chest and throttling your neck. You choke, kicking uselessly and pulling on his arms. He leans close, his hands shaking with rage.

Your head pounds, your kicking slows, the world fades to black around that red eye.

***

CONTINUE?

* YES   NO

*You like it rough, don't you?

*...Freak.

***

You open your eyes.

A very familiar skull is staring down at you, leaning over your face. Your head is laying in his lap.

Sans smiles broadly. In a flash of black he's straddling your waist, a glowing red bone in his hands. Your hands snap over your head and are fixed there.

Your heart pounds at the hungry look in his eyes.

In a slow, deliberate movements he carves into your skin with the bone. You feel your HP sliding down as fabric tears and blood runs over the platform.

Curiously, he looks at one of his hands covered with your blood. Keeping eye contact he slowly tastes it.

Despite your exhaustion and pain you can't help but stare at his dark red tongue. What's left of your pulse jumps to your throat as your breath hitches. Your past timelines had indeed had a twisted fucking relationship.

He laughs. "You really are a freak."

Sans leans closer, slowly forces your mouth open by tracing your lips with his fingers and slams the bone through your throat and up through the back of your skull.

***

CONTINUE?

* YES   NO

*heh.... you ready for round two?

***

You open your eyes.

A very familiar skull is staring down at you, leaning over your face. Your head is laying in his lap.

Sans smiles broadly. In a flash of black he's straddling your waist, he pulls you upright. You don't fight as he leans in to kiss you...but sinks his teeth into your neck.

He pulls back as you fall, your hands desperately trying to stem the blood flow. Sans turns his head and spits out a chunk of meat, blood runs down his chest in rivulets.

***

CONTINUE?

* YES   NO

*......

***

You open your eyes.

A very familiar skull is staring down at you, leaning over your face. Your head is laying in his lap.

Sans expression is unreadable.

His eyes go black.

The scream of a floating skull rips you to shreds.

***

CONTINUE?

* YES   NO

*......

***

You open your eyes.

A very familiar skull is staring down at you, with his head in his hands. Your head is laying in his lap.

Sans looks at you between his fingers.

Another scream and your torn asunder.

***

CONTINUE?

* YES   NO

*.....kid

***

You open your eyes.

A very familiar skull is looking down at you, his head tilted down to stare at you. Your head is laying in his lap.

"You once told me you loved me. You slit your throat right after."

Bones dive into your chest, you spray blood on Sans' face again. He doesn't even blink.

***

*....stop

CONTINUE?

* YES   NO

***

You open your eyes.

Sans' head is tilted down to stare at you. Your head is laying in his lap.

"Another time you figured out how to keep me alive with my HP at zero for up to an hour at a time. I was stuck in a state of perpetual near-death, my body desperately trying to dissolve. It felt like every cell was on fire. You would force me to eat to get it back up and do it all over again. I don't know how many times you did that."

A single bone slams into your heart.

***

*please...

CONTINUE?

* YES   NO

***

You open your eyes.

Sans' head is tilted down to stare at you. Your head is laying in his lap.

He exhales shortly in a dry laugh.

"You choked me to death with my own brothers scarf in my sleep."

A single bone dives through your heart.

***

CONTINUE?

* YES   NO

*why?

***

You open your eyes.

Sans' head is tilted down. His eyes are closed. Your head is laying in his lap.

You aren't sure if you have the DETERMINATION left to move. You're barely breathing.

A red bone glows dimly above your chest, aimed for your heart.

"You've done so much, Karrin."

The bone presses slowly into your chest. You don't have the energy to cry out.

***

CONTINUE?

* YES   NO

***

You open your eyes.

Sans' head is tilted down. His eyes are closed. Your head is laying in his lap.

You wheeze, your body feels weightless.

His eyes open. Soft white pupils. He leans in slowly, his hands gently cradle your face. You blink slowly, his face is growing blurry.

You close your eyes. You're lifted.

You open your eyes. Sans is reaching for your bag, he slings it over his shoulder as you close your eyes again.

You open your eyes... Everything flashes black for a second. Snow is gently falling around you. A second flash of black and you're laid into a bed that's too soft.

You smell cedar.

You close your eyes. Something soft brushes your lips before you slip into the void.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of these actually repeated more than once but for the sake of the story only the changes were included. You actually die about two dozen times or so for all except the last four and the first one, those only happen once. So around 250 deaths? Which isn't even a tenth of the times you've killed Sans.
> 
> I don't know why, but unstable Sans is best Sans


	5. Chapter 5

You open your eyes. This room is familiar, but it's changed. The striped walls are a little brighter than you remember.

A soft breath on your neck.

You very slowly turn your head over your shoulder. You are too exhausted to make any noise at your surprise. Sans is sleeping behind you, one arm tucked under his head the other wrapped loosely around your waist, his hand secured under your side. He's abandoned his black jacket somewhere, the red t-shirt looks strange on him.

A warmth spreads in your chest. You're filled with DETERMINATION as you very slowly turn, tucking your head under the skeletons chin, wrapping your arms around his thin chest.

You're asleep again as soon as your eyes close.

****

You drowsily open your eyes.

This room is familiar. Your heart sinks immediately. This is your room at the INN. You close your eyes for a long moment and sigh.

When you sit up you gasp. Papyrus is sitting directly across from your bed, he's frowning deeply at you. "Human." he says. His voice is so soft it shocks you.

"My brother has escaped me. Where have you stashed him?" His tone drips venom. "I don't know where Sans is." You whisper.

Papyrus scoffs. "You reek of him." He snaps. You gulp.

"My duty is to keep the king safe. You two together...I just know it will end awful." he continues. "So I have to stop you."

"S-Sans will kill you." You tell him. It's not a threat, it's a fact. It would destroy Sans to murder his brother, you have to stop this. "Then I will have died protecting my brother from you." Papyrus says sadly.

"I don't have the same abilities as my brother. He always seems to know what's going to happen next, I'm not sure how. All I have is my instincts." His eyes harden when he looks back at you. "And something is telling me that you need to be destroyed."

He stands and you hold up your hands in surrender, urging him to stop. "W-wait Papyrus! I'm not who you think I am! Ask anyone in Snowdin, I'm good. I'm trying to fix your world!"

Papyrus doesn't believe you, he tisks. "Yes, I'm aware that Snowdin is more...tender lately. This will pass soon. I will be sure to remind them personally of the fortitude require to survive in the underground. No doubt this is a ruse to betray my kind, to truly destroy their spirits that you and my brother devised." His eyes dimly glow dark red. Broken bones materialize in the small room. They slowly tilt until they are aimed directly at you.

He sighs heavily when you try to explain that you really want to fix the underground. "Human, stop this pleading. Its very unbecoming."

You throw your arms over your face to protect yourself from the red bones thrown at you. You crash over the bed and through the far wall. You slide to a stop and hope that the patrons of the INN are safe somewhere else.

You cough, inhaling plaster.

Papyrus calmly ducks through the hole in the wall and stalks toward you. "Please, Papyrus. Don't do this."

*You decide not to fight back.

*Papyrus is not going to spare you.

He flinches, looking away for a moment. "I-I have to, human. Though it...saddens me for some reason, if that is any comfort."

Bones fly at you again, you don't bother dodging, there are simply too many. You just cover your face as you feel your bones break from the impact. When the barrage ends, you laugh, coughing up blood. You sense your own theme appearing. Blood, bruises and broken bones.

*You want to spare Papyrus.

*Papyrus is not going to spare you.

A strange sense of calm fills you. You deserve this after the awful, horrific things you've done to everyone who made the mistake of crossing your path.

That pressure in your chest is back and for a moment you think Sans has appeared. You gasp, looking for him. You can't let him murder his brother again. It's just too terrible to think of. But you only see Papyrus. He stands with a fierce glare, his right arm outstretched as you slowly rise to your feet.

He clenches his teeth together and throws you through the window. You soar through the air. Startled screams follow you as you roll through the snow.

"FRISK?!" You hear someone yell as you slide to a stop. "Oh no, is she alright?" Someone else says. You hear hurried steps approach. Weakly you try to shoo them away.

There's another crash. You sit up in time to see Papyrus drop from the second story hole in the INN. A few monsters scramble out of his way. One or two cry out in surprise and fear.

You wince sharply as you try to pull your arms up to defend yourself. Your left arm is stripped in blood, glass what looks like shards of bone.

Papyrus walks slowly closer. He holds out his arm again, he seems to be waiting for something.

*You spare Papyrus...

*Papyrus remembers his brother and hardens his resolve.

*Papyrus isn't ready to back down.

He closes his eyes as that pressure returns. His arm flings to the side and you fly into a wall of jagged bones. You're suspended in an "x" by the crisscross of bones that have missed your torso and face. They twist as he slowly clenches his fist, spiraling into your limbs like a screw.

You cry out in anguish, gritting your teeth against the scream that wants to crawl out of your throat. Papyrus can't look at you. His eyes shut tighter as he turns his head. Sharp bones hover before your face level with your eyes.

You breathe in slowly, trembling with pain as you close your eyes and tilt your head back to accept your fate. You know you don't have the DETERMINATION to return to this fight. Not after the days or possibly weeks of death Sans subjected you to yesterday.

You feel at peace. You hope your next timeline you will remember kindness and continue fighting to save the underground.

*You grant Papyrus mercy.

*....

You hit the ground suddenly and groan in pained relief.

You turn to look at Papyrus, his mouth has fallen open. His hand reaches for you but he stops, straightening his face.

"I-it's okay...Papy." You tell him instantly enjoying the sound of the nickname.

He steps back in shock a hand going to his chest.

"I-I've hurt everyone so much. I do-don't deserve to live." You spit out a mouthfull of blood...and a couple teeth. You let your head fall to the snow, not sure what to do with all this pain except be glad someone was finally punishing you.

"It's okay, Papy. You-you can kill me. I-I won't hate you for it. I could n-never hate..." You struggle to fill your lungs. You laugh again. It seems like you'll never live for long without having trouble breathing.

"I could never hate...someone who...loves puzzles like...I do."

Papyrus falls to his knees in front of you. He's crying as he pulls you into his arms. "HUMAN! THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE!" You smile up at him, patting his chest gently.

"N-no." You tell him with a small wince. He sobs brushing the hair from your eyes. "Y-you love your brother, r-right Pap?"

"MORE THAN THE UNIVERSE ITSELF HUMAN!" He replies, wailing.

Your smile widens. Papyrus' grisly sharp teeth shrink into human-esque teeth, his deep hollow eye sockets shrink too. His tiny red puils vanish without the same soul-less effect of Sans' eyes. Tears flow from his sockets and you are filled with DETERMINATION.

You blink and can suddenly take a full breath. He cries out in joy. "HUMAN! YOU ARE HEALED!" He pulls you to him tightly. You hug him back, crying happily with him. "I WAS SO CRUEL TO YOU HUMAN! THE GREAT PAPYRUS DEEPLY REGRETS THIS!"

"It's okay, Pap." You tell him. He shakes his head hard. "NO!"

You laugh a little. "Papy. I'm so glad you're back."

"M-ME TOO FRISK!" He sobs. "I have missed you so much..." He whispers, gripping you tighter. "I began to think you were only a dream."

"Sans must be worried sick about you." You say when you pull back wiping tears from your face, then from Pap's. His shoulders shake a little with hic-ups.

"I DO NOT KNOW WHERE HE IS." He replies. "I WAS HONEST ABOUT THAT! I TRULY THOUGHT K-KARRIN HAD TAKEN HIM. BUT YOU ARE NOT KARRIN ANYMORE. YOU ARE NOT THE ONE BROTHER HAS NIGHTMARES ABOUT."

You shudder at that, at hearing your name again and hearing that Sans is so tormented he has nightmares when you aren't even in the timeline yet.

Papyrus smiles. "YOU ARE FRISK!"

You laugh and sob at the same time. "I'm Frisk." You repeat. Papyrus hugs you tightly again. You gently rub his back as he starts crying again, blinking back tears of your own.

Monsters carefully approach you both. When you smile encouragingly they begin to cheer and laugh. Soon Pap joins in too and a small crowd of overjoyed monsters embraces you both.

You're filled with DETERMINATION until your heart feels like it will burst. And something else changes. You feel your HP rise too. The surprise interrupts your celebrations. You quickly look around you, had you accidentally hurt someone? But no, everyone is still cheering and laughing together.

Your LV, EXP, and DF haven't changed. Your AT has decreased. You can take more damage and now deal less than before. You're VERY okay with this slight change and horrified to learn you can deal so much damage.

Papy looks at you zoning out. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT HUMAN?" He asks, taking your hand in his soft red mittens. You shake yourself and smile. "I haven't been happier, Paps." You say and kiss his cold cheek.

His eyes bug out and go different directions. He blushes furiously. "HUMAN!" He cries out. "WE ARE IN PUBLIC!"

The crowd laughs at his outburst. You stand and take everyone to Grillbys to celebrate properly as Papyrus insists he cook you his famous Spaghetti to try and make up for the fight.

*

The darkness around the skeleton brothers' home is gone. Papyrus takes you there after the celebrations at Grillby's end. During the party you ask Pap where Flowey is, but he doesn't know who you're talking about.

Flowey wasn't in your room though your bag had been left behind, your robe was gone. Bunny hadn't seen Flowey since you left yesterday morning to fix waterfall.

You're very worried about your tiny flower friend. You assume Sans has him and you know that only bad things can come from that.

But you're also incredibly drained. Without the same level of DETERMINATION you had grown used to everything is exhausting. If you hadn't made that remark about puzzles you would have died and that would have been the end of this timeline. All the work you had put into reviving the lives of the underground would have been for nothing.

"HUMAN?" You realize Papyrus has been talking to you for a while in front of his front door but you haven't been listening.

"I'm sorry Papy. I'm just tired, I wasn't listening."

He smiles. "NEVER FEAR HUMAN! I THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL ENSURE YOU ARE FULLY RECOVERED POST HASTE!

You laugh shortly at his enthusiasm. "BUT FIRST WE MUST UH...ENTER THE HOUSE!" Your heart aches at the uncertainty in his voice. You take his soft gloved hand and smile encouragingly.

He tightly squeezes your hand and grabs the knob. You feel a small tremble in his arm. "I-I am... I feel scared, Frisk."

"Do you want me to go in first?" You ask.

Papyrus shakes himself. "WHILE I APPRECIATE YOUR OFFER HUMAN, I THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL FURTHER PROVE HIS GREATNESS BY CONQUERING HIS FEAR!"

You laugh again kindly and squeeze his hand. He reaches out and opens the door, pulling you after him into the dark living room.

Instantly a creeping sensation crawls across your back. Papyrus hears your panicked breathing and quickly tries the light switch but nothing happens. "HUMAN? WHAT'S WRONG?" He asks. You can barely see in the dark but you know where he is and you can't tear your eyes from the stairs.

A small dark laugh and Sans' eye flashes red in the dark.

Papyrus gasps, dropping your hand. You can see his outline running toward the glow. "SANS!" Papyrus cries out joyously.

You see the glow flicker and fade to two white pinpricks. The lights come on suddenly. Sans must have been doing something to keep it dark. His concentration is broken by Papyrus' overjoyed hug lifting him in the air.

Sans looks down in quiet shock at his brother. "Is that you...Paps?"

Papyrus laughs. "OF COURSE IT IS ME DEAR BROTHER! FRISK HAS RETURNED! AND HAS RESTORED ALL OF SNOWDIN!!" Both brothers look back at you trembling and hugging yourself in the doorway. Paps face falls in confusion.

"HUMAN?"

Sans looks at his brother mirthlessly. His eyes go black and so does the living room. "SANS NO!" You scream, running into the dark.

A flash of red, a choked cry.

You turn in the dark. Your throat burns with a stifled sob. You already know what's happened before the lights flicker on. A small pile of dust lies at the base of the stairs. A red cape rests on top of it.

You sob and fall to your knees. "N-no. Why Sans?" You cover your face with your hands and cry. This can't be happening. You were turning the world around, things were going to be better, you were going to fix everything!

You force yourself to stop sobbing and wipe angrily at your face when tears continue to fall. You feel DETERMINED, more than you ever have in this timeline.

***

RESET?

*YES NO

***

"Do you want me to go in first?" You ask, your heart pounds in your chest.

Papyrus shakes himself. "WHILE I APPRECIATE YOUR OFFER HUMAN, I THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL FURTHER PROVE HIS GREATNESS BY CONQUERING HIS FEAR!"

"NO PAP!" You slap his hand away from the knob harder than you meant. He looks hurt. "IS SOMETHING THE MATTER?" He asks as you begin to shake.

"G-go to the inn tonight, Papyurs. Please." You say gently. You take Paps other hand and kiss it, trying to apologize for your harsh slap.

Papyrus looks concerned.

"Please." You plead, interrupting him.

"Alright, Frisk." He replies after a long moment. He hugs you and pats your head before he turns toward the inn.

Your throat is dry, you swallow before opening the door and going inside.

The door slams shut behind you and that creeping sensation crawls across your back. You jump forward in fear. Hands on your shoulders jerk you back. Fingers dig painfully into your skin.

"You're going to destroy the timeline if you keep resetting so quickly like that." Sans growls into your ear. You bite back a scream. You feel his cold breath on the other side of your neck now. "The culmination of every choice, every death resonates across every reality. A timeline can only remain stable if you give it time to recover from so much manipulation."

He pulls you closer and you close your eyes, struggling against the panicked sounds trying to escape. "But you were never one to play by the rules or to hold back from what you wanted." His cold breath sends goosebumps across your skin.

"You were always planning to kill him." You whisper the terrible realization, afraid if you speak any louder you'll lose your resolve.

"It hurts less if I know when to expect it." he replies. "It barely hurts anymore."

You shudder at the ice in his voice. "I've already told you that you're a terrible liar." He shakes you and you wince, his grip is going to leave bruises. "I couldn't stand the thought of him dying at your hands again, Karrin. I-I had hoped that seeing him how he once was...so long ago that it would help. But I realized that he isn't strong enough to survive in this world."

San's grip loosens. "And I'm not strong enough to see the pain I've caused ripple back to this new reality you're making. Papyrus...he'd never speak to me again." He tightens his grip again and you cry out in pain. It feels like he's going to dig straight through your shoulders. "Pain that YOU forced me to cause."

"H-he's your br-brother." You pant, groaning at the pain. "H-he'll a-alw-always love you. No-no ma-AAAAHHTTER WHAT!" You're pretty sure your collar bone has snapped. He releases you with a growl and you crumple to the floor crying.

The door slams open, busting from its hinges. Sans gasps as Papyrus stands with his fists clenched in the doorway. Pap glares daggers at him as he walks over the threshold to you. Sans backs away, his eyes empty.

Papyrus looks kindly at you. He very carefully picks you up and you bite your lip until it bleeds to keep from crying out in pain. He slowly stands and looks hard at Sans. The two brothers stare at each other for a long time before Papyrus turns and carries you up the stairs to his room.

"You can't...you have to forgive him." You tell Papyrus before he reaches for his door knob. Without turning or stopping Papyrus says, "I already have, human, fret not."

You hear the small "pop" that means Sans has left.

Papyrus very gently sets you on his oversized bed and reaches for a book hidden underneath it. You laugh as much as you can without hurting more, you know what book he's grabbed. He smiles. "I AM NOT USED TO READING TO OTHERS, BUT...BUT I REMEMBER SANS READING THIS TO ME BEFORE! SO PREPARE YOURSELF HUMAN! FOR A BED-TIME STORY LIKE YOU'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED!"

His dogged enthusiasm fills you with DETERMINATION.

Your smile dies and you cover your face with your hands. "HUMAN?" Papyrus questions as your shoulders shake with sobs. "I-I don't deserve this-your kindness!" You tell him.

"Frisk..." he touches your arm.

You jerk away and cry harder. "I'm not Frisk!"

"YES YOU ARE! YOU ARE NOT KARRIN ANYMORE, YOU ARE DEFINITELY FRISK!"

"NO!" You scream at him. He jumps. "I'm a shallow imitation of her! I killed her a long time ago Papyrus! Frisk is gone and I can't keep pretending that I'm her! All of the awful things I've done, how can I even dare to call myself by that name anymore?! I'm a cancer, a parasite, a plague on reality!"

"You...shouldn't say that about yourself." He tells you.

"LOOK AT WHAT I'VE DONE TO YOUR BROTHER AND TELL ME I'M NOT THE MOST VILE THING TO EVER EXIST!" You scream so hard your vocal cords burn.

Tears well in Papyrus' eyes.

You pant, waiting for him to tell you how terrible you are. You need someone to tell you how the world would have been better without you, you need to hear that you deserve to be punished, you need someone to tell you to give up and just die.

"Fr...human." He starts gently, setting the book down on his nightstand. "Everyone can change, everyone can be a be better person if they just try." He takes your hands in his and holds tightly when you try to pull away. "You have the power to change the world around you. You're fixing the things you've done."

You close your eyes and shake your head before you start crying again. You just can't stop yourself.

"It's going to hurt. I can't imagine what it would feel like to stare into the eyes of everyone you've ever injured, of everyone you've cut down and beg for forgiveness. But I know what it feels like to nearly kill someone who refuses to fight back. Someone who desperately tries to love you regardless of what you've done."

A soft mitten pulls your face up by your chin. You quietly sob as Papyrus waits for you to open your eyes. "You showed me that, human. The heart-breaking freedom of forgiveness in the face of your worst sins." You've never heard Papyrus speak so eloquently before. "That feeling is absolutely terrifying. The complete horror that you'll never make it up to them."

He wipes your face and smiles. "But you have to keep going. If you give up now, think of all the ones who will never know peace. You are the only one who can grant them that, Frisk. You have to stay DETERMINED, no matter how broken you feel."

You sob again at that word.

"I BELIEVE IN YOU! SO YOU CAN'T GIVE UP!" He announces proudly. In spite of yourself you laugh and he beams. DETERMINATION fills you and you try to ignore it.

You realize you need all the DETERMINATION you can muster to keep going and try to feel less guilty about how helpful it really is.

You tightly hug Papyrus and thank him for his kind words. You realize what you really needed was someone to listen to your deepest fears and not tell you it would be okay, but tell you that you were strong enough to pull through it.

*

You train and recover your DETERMINATION for a week with Papyrus in Snowdin. He insists on showing you his attacks to prepare you for another fight with his brother.

"I AM NOT AS QUICK OR INVENTIVE AS SANS BUT WE HAVE THE SAME TYPES OF ATTACKS! THIS WILL SURELY IMPROVE YOUR CONFIDENCE WHEN YOU FACE HIM AGAIN!" He tells you. You notice most of his bone attacks aren't red anymore, they're more of a soft orange. The rest are solid white, you have to leap straight through the orange ones to avoid damage.

A vague memory pulls itself to the surface. You almost remember fighting him with his orange attacks. He only used them once. Just before Sans killed him. He doesn't use them in any other timelines, though many other monsters use a similar magic.

"NOW THESE YOU HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO!" He tells you bringing a pale blue bone into existence. "THESE WON'T HURT YOU UNLESS YOU MOVE!"

You flinch despite his warning when he tosses one lazily at you.

Papyrus frowns. "YOU MUST STAY STILL HUMAN!" He tells you sternly as your HP drops a little. "THE GREAT PAPYRUS PROMISES THESE WILL NOT HURT YOU." He calls another blue bone and swipes it through his still arm repeatedly to put you at ease.

His smile returns and he throws the bone at you. It flips slowly. There is just enough time for you to relax as it passes through your torso and face without pain.

Papyrus claps in delight. "EXCELLENT WORK HUMAN! WE SHOULD TAKE A BREAK AND I WILL MAKE YOU MY FAMOUS SPAGHETTI!"

His spaghetti is amazing! You don't remember him ever making it fit for consumption before, let alone this fantastic! He blushes when you tell him how incredible it is and he gets you seconds. You're filled again with DETERMINATION even though the spaghetti has replenished your HP.

You haven't seen Flowey since Sans brought you back to Snowdin. "ALPHYS COULD ASSIST IN YOUR SEARCH!" Papyrus tells you. "SHE IS...SHE WILL NEED TO BE WON OVER BUT SHE HAS CAMERAS ALL OVER THE UNDERGROUND! SHE UPDATES THE KING ON WHATS HAPPENING ALL OVER!"

You chew your bottom lip in thought. You want to ask about the king, but you decide not to. You don't think you can handle more than one problem at a time. First you'll need to finish helping the monsters in Waterfall then you'll move on to Alphys to find your friend.

"Well, I should probably get ready to set out again then." You tell Papyrus.

He stammers. "B-BUT WE HAVE MORE TRAINING TO DO! YOU MUST BE STRONGER!" You chuckle. "My DETERMINATION has never been higher. I can easily return if I'm not strong enough, nothing to worry about."

Pap frowns at your flippant attitude. "I MUST ACCOMPANY YOU!" He insists. "No Pap, I should go alone. I don't want you getting hurt again."

"YOU WILL NEED ME TO FACE UNDYNE!" He tells you, standing from the table. "SHE IS FORMIDABLE AND YOU WILL REQUIRE MY KNOWLEDGE OF HER TO RETURN HER TO HER TRUE SELF!"

You hear her name and memories flood. You must be getting more in-tune with the timelines because you didn't even recognize her name when papyrus first talked about her nearly two months ago. She is a terrifying and DETERMINED fighter. She has killed you many times.

"Okay. I'd love to have you along, Pap. But please, please, be careful."

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS ALWAYS CAREFUL!"

**

Papyrus is excited to see you make amends with the monsters of waterfall. You decide the best way to clear the area is to restore the monsters before confronting Undyne. You hope that by the time you have helped them all that it will be easier to restore Undyne too.

"You said Sans had escaped you." You say to Pap as you and Onion-san bounce a ball back and forth. Onion-san squeals in delight, his tentacles dancing as he chases after the ball.

Papyrus sighs. You see the world-weary Papyrus who had inspired yourself to stay DETERMINED. The timelines have been hard on him. It seems like it takes more effort to stay optimistic when he's not busy doing something silly.

"Yes. I had forcibly taken him to the castle and locked him there. I'd hoped to keep him from Karrin long enough to get rid of her. It's hard to remember sometimes, but there are small echoes of the other timelines. I knew Karrin was the one who would take my brother from me, but I didn't know it at first."

He pauses and smiles broadly at Onion-san before throwing the ball again. You both laugh at it's overjoyed peals of laughter.

"Only after you two never showed up to Waterfall did I begin to have feelings of unease." It's still unusual to hear Papyrus speak so evenly, so thoughtfully. "I was able to keep him in the castle only because he didn't want to upset me. But when he heard about the blizzard lifting from Snowdin he vanished. I didn't have the courage to confront him. My last ditch effort was to get rid of Karrin."

You slowly kick your feet in the water over the edge of the sidewalk as Onion-san bounces the ball on its nose.

"But she was already gone." You smile at Pap and he smiles back.

After a while you and Papyrus say your goodbyes to Onion-san and continue through Waterfall. "WE WILL HAVE TO BE CAREFUL AFTER THIS!" Papyrus tells you. "UNDYNE'S HOME ISN'T FAR!"

You wince at his loud voice. "Then maybe we should keep our voices down." You offer. He laughs proudly and you chuckle.

Something shaped like a music note whizzes by you with a screech. You jump back with a gasp, your left cheek and ear are bleeding. A monster fades in from the shadows, its puffer-fish face floating above its half-molted fish body.

It screeches at you and Papyrus, and you cover your ears at the sound. Notes materialize, darting and spinning at you both.

"IT'S A SIREN!" Pap yells, rushing you to the edge of a waterfall and toward a bridge. You wave his hands away and make your way to the monster. It has stopped its attack and you have a moment to recover from the sharp ringing in your ears.

Its chest heaves, its wide eyes glow yellow.

"Do you...like music?" You ask, not sure how loud your voice is.

The glare lessens for a moment and it nods slightly. You smile. "What's your favorite song?" You ask.

The siren looks away and back at you. "My favorite is um..." You pause and try to remember how your favorite song goes. You smile and it waits patiently for you. The creature looks intently at you, gliding closer when you start to sing.

Something sparks in its eyes and they bob around you, joining in when you reach the chorus. They can't seem to sing the words but they harmonize with you perfectly. You laugh as the song ends and it circles gracefully in front of you.

Papyrus applauds happily, whooping. You notice a few other monsters have poked their heads out of the shadows.

The siren looks less gruesome now, it's molted skin looks refreshed. Shyren...the name seems more fitting for some reason.

"ENCORE!" Papyrus yells.

You chuckle and look at the Shyren. It tucks its head down, hair falling over its face. "What do you want to sing?" you ask. It giggles, hiding behind its fins. You remember a happy, silly song thats a guilty pleasure for you. You were kind of a nerd before getting dragged into that cult with your sister.

"Um... know Drop Pop Candy?" You ask, embarrassed.

Shyren brightens and chirps, circling around you again. "Oh jeeze." You feel a dark blush burning your cheeks. "Of course you do, now I have to sing it." Shyren waits, its fins flapping in excitement.

You laugh at yourself and start singing. Shyren definitely knows the words to this one. It grabs your hand and pulls you into a dance. You laugh and grab Papyrus' arm as you bounce past him. More monsters have shown up and are dancing and laughing with you all. There isn't an unhappy camper in the large cave.

You mess up the words more than once, but no one seems to notice. You swell with DETERMINATION as the song ends and you stop to catch your breath. You're sweating and the other monsters cheer and laugh. Shyren positively glows with the attention. You cheer for them too and the cutest, happiest smile shines on their face.

You see a ghost floating somberly at the edge of the celebrations. It's a black shadow with slowly curling trails of smoke billowing around it. What looks like red make-up is smeared over its eyes. You smile and motion them over. It furiously shakes its head, scowling. You tilt your head and walk over to them. It angrily floats back and vanishes into the wall.

You shrug and go back to the fun, but you see it poke its head back through the wall when Papyrus starts another song. You hang back from the dancing with a few other winded monsters and clap along with the beat. The dark ghost is too preoccupied with watching the dancing and singing to notice you slinking closer.

When the song ends you hook your arm around the ghost and pull it out of the wall. It shrieks in surprise that quickly turns to a growl. You're a little surprised to know that its solid enough to hold on to. "Come on little buddy, join the fun."

It groans and pouts, not as mean as it wants to be. "How about you pick the next song then, if you don't want to be in the crowd?"

The group is still applauding Papyrus and Shyren so they don't hear your conversation. Papyrus bows repeatedly, thanking them all for appreciating THE GREAT PAPYRUS. "Maybe....if it's you know....not a bother that is."

"Nonsense. It's all for fun right now." You assure it.

"O...okay. Let me get my music." The ghost vanishes and you think you've scared it away for good when it reappears. Its little arms hold a boombox and cd's. It hands you the boombox and you struggle under the weight of it.

"Ooof." It quietly puts in a CD and looks at the crowd as the music starts. It darts behind you, it's malicious appearance must really be a facade.

A slow beat starts and the crowd looks at you. You smile and set the boombox down, turning to grab the ghosts little arms. They're so stinking cute! It doesn't look up at you as you pull it closer to the crowd to dance.

A techno riff starts. It's mesmerizing. "I love this!" You tell it. A red shadow flushes its cheeks and it smiles a little. "I-is it something you made?" You ask as the monsters around you nod their heads in approval.

The ghost nods. "That's incredible!" You sway to the beat with him. It beams, overjoyed. The dark facade fades slowly, revealing a pale blue ghost with bright eyes. The 'make-up' is gone but the small blue blush remains. The next track starts and this one is easier to dance to, you let it spin away from you and it enjoys the attention from the other monsters wanting to buy a copy of its music.

You had no idea there were so many monsters in Waterfall. They all seem so happy and excited. It's a sight that fills you with happy DETERMINATION. You bump into Papyrus with your excited dancing. "YOU HAVE DONE SOMETHING VERY GOOD, FRISK!" He tells you, and you actually agree with him.

You dance with the monsters through the night. Everyone falls into a peaceful, pleasantly tired sleep in the cave. You learn the name of the ghost is Napstablook, but for some reason you like calling him "blooky" instead. He doesn't seem to mind.

You fall asleep last, comfortably snoozing beside Papyrus and Shyren's musical snores.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some mild torture in this chapter.

You wake feeling well rested. No weird memory-dreams, no terrifying Sans looming over you, no hangover or indescribable pain.

You smile and stretch as you sit up. Most of the monsters have left, a few still snooze lightly in a small pile. The sight fills you with DETERMINATION. Papyrus snores loudly a few feet away. You don't see Blooky.

After fully waking you nudge Papyrus awake. He mumbles about spaghetti. You snicker. "Really, dream spaghetti?" You question.

Pap groans and yawns. "OH! GOOD MORNING HUMAN!" He yells excitedly. He sits straight up and beams. You should've know he was a morning person. "WHAT FUN YESTERDAY WAS! ARE YOU READY TO FACE UNDYNE TODAY?!"

You shiver. "I-I suppose I am."

"WE SHOULD HAVE TRAINED MORE!" He tells you. You have to agree, but you also have to find Flowey and Sans. "Have we helped all the monsters in Waterfall?" You ask.

He scratches his chin thoughtfully. "I THINK ONLY THE SAD DUMMY AND THE RIVER PERSON AND-" He suddenly stops. A sweat breaks out on his skull. "uh..."

"What is it?" You ask when he remains silent.

"Uh...well there's a village to the south. It's hidden. B-But I don't think you're ready for that."

You blink up at him, frowning. "A village?"

The monsters still sleeping have roused. They glance fearfully at you and begin to leave. Papyrus nervously rings his hands. "I THINK WE SHOULD SAVE THAT FOR AFTER UNDYNE IS ON OUR SIDE HUMAN!"

You are thoroughly confused. "What's wrong with the viliage?" You think across the time lines, it's difficult but a ripple brings a memory to you. "Temm---?!" Papyrus slaps his mittened hand over your mouth. You've never seen him look so scared and serious.

"Please. Do not say that name."

Anxious now, you nod. He slowly sighs in relief and pulls his hand from your mouth. "Will you tell me later what's up with that?" You ask.

He nods. "BUT LET US NOT DWELL ON THAT SUBJECT! PLEASE!" He stands and pulls you to your feet. He practically drags you north out of the cave to another passageway. You notice the water level has fallen again in the areas with water flowing by. It makes you smile. It seems like you're finally doing some good.

You walk with Pap through several corridors before you enter a small cave opening. You frown at the large house...its shaped like a grisly fish. You hear crying. You step around Papyrus to see a stuffed dummy sobbing.

"Hey, you okay?" You ask. It shudders and bounces away from you into a corner. You notice that stuffing is exploding from its seams, it's been haphazardly sewn up. Whoever practices with it is too rough.

"Go away!" it yells at you when you step closer. "Hey now, maybe I can help?"

"Oh yeah? By putting me out of my misery?!"

"SHHHH! PLEASE SAD DUMMY! WE DON'T WANT TO ALERT UNDYNE!" Payrus yells. You close your eyes and snort at the strange skeleton.

"No, I can fix your seams." You offer. It jumps, shaking when you reach for it. You smile patiently. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."

After a few more minutes of coaxing it finally agrees to let you fix it. You gently stuff the cotton back into the seams and pull tight on the thread. You reach into your bag for the mittens Toriel gave you. You feel a little guilty about undoing the lovely knit mittens, but you know the dummy will get more use from them than you will.

You pull a long strand of yarn from the cuff of the mitten and cut it with the bread knife in your bag. After twenty minutes of careful stitching and gentle stuffing the dummy is all in one piece again. "There, don't you look just dashing?"

The dummy blushes and smiles, twisting its head to see your handiwork. "I-I...I feel so much better!" it cries out. A bright smile threatens to bust the stiches on its face. "Thank you, human!" It bounces forward and hugs you by nuzzling your shoulder with its chin before bouncing out of the cave.

"I can't wait to show my cousin! He'll be so jealous!" It calls over its shoulder. You laugh.

"So, you think you can steal from me?" A cold voice calls from behind you. Papyrus jumps back, bumping into you. You turn and see a tall, blue fish-monster sitting over the door of the werid house. She has flaming red hair that curls down past her feet from a high pony-tail. Jagged yellowed teeth form a cocky smirk. A pale mound of scarred flesh covers her left eye. She wears strange plate armor... You squint, is that...a cat?

A pale blue spear hangs in her arms. She pulls a leg up to brace against the doors arch. Her knee high boots look like red and black leather.

"You must be that human Papyrus warned me about." She scoffs, looking over at Pap. "Looks like she got to you first. You weakling."

Papyrus glares. It looks wrong on his sweet face. He glances at you, barring your way to Undyne with his arm. "I'm giving you the chance to end this now, Undyne. Let the human help. She is trying to save us from this hell."

Undyne throws her head back and laughs. "No one can save us! ESPECIALLY not her!" She points her spear at you without standing. "No. After what she's done to us, to Sans. Yes, I know about his nightmares. How else would I know how much we should really fear her? And you stand by her? I thought you had more loyalty than that."

"My loyalty is to my brother and my friends." Papyrus says. His serious tone is unsettling. "This human has already restored Snowdin, the ruins and nearly all of Waterfall. She can stop this."

Undyne's spear is still leveled at you. Her smile falls. "So she hasn't bothered with the village? She's more of a coward than I expected. But what should I really expect from a murderer?" She leaps from the house and lands in front of you. She's taller than you expected, and twice as terrifying this close. Her spear hangs loose at her side.

"Do you know why I didn't chase you?" She asks. You shake your head, feeling more confident than you expected. "Because you aren't worth it. I knew eventually you would make your way to me." She glances at Pap who stares her down. "Since my captain isn't DETERMINED enough to take care of you, I will end you!"

You leap back when Undyne jabs the spear at you. This fight has begun. She laughs when you accept, forcing Papyrus out of the battlefield. He's thrown back a few steps where he frowns sadly at you. But after a moment he beams, giving you two thumbs up.

His belief in you fills you with DETERMINATION!

You barely dodge Undyne's next attack, springing back and spinning away from the multitude of spears she rains down.

*You want to spare Undyne.

*Undyne laughs. It is an unstable sound.

You pant, your chest heaves, your sweater is torn in several places but you continue.

*You don't want to fight Undyne.

*"Of course you don't! I'm Undyne the Undying! I will not fail my king!"

Papyrus watches anxiously from the edge of the fight, wincing in sympathy when you are injured. But you continue, chancing a mouthful of food to heal between attacks. Undyne laughs, pausing to catch her breath. "You are a more worthy opponent than I thought! I thank you!"

You frown at her, but laugh too. "You're um...welcome, I guess?" You manage. She beams and you notice her body flickers, for a split second she's a little shorter, stockier, her hair less wild. But she shakes herself and growls at you. "HA! You're going to have to try harder than that, human!" She yells and catches you off guard with a precisely thrown spear.

You stagger back, unable to breathe. The world shimmers and sways when you look down. A blue spear is lodged through your belly. You feel your HP slipping rapidly down as your legs give out beneath you. You cough, it's wet and gross and sprays blood everywhere.

Undyne smiles triumphantly. "HA! Humans leak when punctured? Alphy's shows are right..."

You think you hear Papyrus yell something at you, but you aren't sure. All you can really hear is the thrum of your heart in your ears and the sound of roaring water. From the corner of your blurred vision you see someone. It looks like a cat, but you don't have the time to be certain because the world has faded to black.

***

CONTINUE?

*YES NO

***

Undyne laughs, pausing to catch her breath. "You are a more worthy opponent than I thought! I thank you!"

You frown at her, forcing a laugh. "You're um...welcome, I guess?" You manage. Your mouth is so dry your voice cracks. She beams and you notice her body flickers, for a split second she's a little shorter, stockier, her hair less wild. But she shakes herself and growls at you. "HA! You're going to have to try harder than that, human!" She yells and you jump left, narrowly avoiding the spear she had aimed expertly.

To your surprise she cackles in delight. "Excellent dodge! You've been training with my captain, haven't you?"

You're ready now, you pay attention to her movements much more closely. The warning Sans had given about letting a timeline "recover" from a reset stuck with you. It didn't seem like something he would just mention to mess with you, it sounded like he knew what he was talking about. Plus that last death had really hurt.

You hold a stitch in your side, sweat pours down your face. Undyne huffs and puffs in her heavy armor.

*You want to spare Undyne.

*....

Her eyes narrow angrily. She yells and hundreds of spears materialize over her. A small chime, you feel your legs lock into place. A dark green light glows beneath your sweater. Undyne laughs.

"You can't escape this one, Human. My magic will keep you from running. Now PERISH!" She screams and throws her hands down.

"FRISK!" Papyrus yells and throws his massive shoulder plate at you. You catch it after the first four spears tear at your clothes and you duck behind it, crouching low to the ground to protect as much of yourself as you can. Spears crash into the armor with enough force to make your arm numb. Which is good because you can't feel the one that stabs into your forearm.

You stare in horror at the blood dripping from the spear-tip inches from your face. "Well, at least I won't drop it..." you mutter. The green light beneath your sweater fades and you fall back on your butt. You realize the only thing keeping your balance was the magic holding your feet to the ground.

You look up and see Undyne. Her face is a mix of awe and excitement. "No one's...ever...And you joke...?" Her eye lights up when you wave weakly with the spear and shoulder plated arm. You're very glad you can't feel anything below your elbow.

Undyne laughs so hard she has to bend over. She keeps laughing until she sits down and struggles to catch her breath.

*You spare Undyne...?

*Undyne decides to spare you.

"Human!" She yells standing proudly. "You have shown me you are not a coward! You are indeed a worthy foe! I would uh be quite upset if we could not do battle again someday! So I have decided, of my own free will, to join you!"

Undyne walks over to you and pulls you up on your feet. She looks cheerier, her armor seems too big for her now, her hair is sleek and shiny. She waves her hand and the spear vanishes like it was never there. Blood flows down your sleeve and the shoulder plate clashes to the ground.

Papyrus sprints over and pulls you off your feet into a hug. "FRISK!" he cries. "YOU ARE INJURED!"

"Eh, it'll heal." You tell him.

Undyne laughs loudly, approving of your care-free demeanor. "Plus, it'll leave a wicked scar." You add, winking at Undyne. She beams. "That's the spirit!" Her excitement is contagious and you laugh.

Papyrus frowns disapprovingly. "Come on, Papy and I'll make you some dinner. That'll set you straight." Pap squeals in excitement as the three of you walk into Undynes home. You see a flicker of movement by the entrance of Undynes cave. When you do a double-take it's gone.

Huh...weird.

It takes three helpings of Undyne and Papyrus' spaghetti to close the wound on your arm. It must not heal as much some of the other foods you've picked up along the way. (All of which you consumed during your fight with Undyne) Although you had to convince them to boil the noodles OUTSIDE of the box, they were too excited really mind.

You spend the night at Undynes and it feels like sleep will never come. You scratch absently at the bandage around your arm. The feeling is still struggling to return but you don't want to rush it. You imagine the pain of having a half-healed magical spear-wound through your bones probably hurts a lot.

Thoughts are running wildly through your brain. While you're glad to have Undyne on your side, you wonder how they will feel if they found out about the terrible things you've done.

They both put up a fight when you tried to win them over, but in the end they weren't very difficult fights. Sure, Undyne killed you and Papyrus had attacked you while you were at your most vulnerable but for some parts it didn't seem like their heart was really in it. They seemed relieved when their true selves shone through again, like they could finally give up the rough and cruel facades they'd been hiding behind. The smiles on Papyrus' and Undyne's faces that night while you three ate dinner had warmed your soul.

You were grateful you could do that much for them. After all your other selves had done over the time-lines, you were glad to finally be making it up.

But you were certain you needed to finish this journey alone.

You glance at Papyrus asleep on the couch. Undyne's bedroom door is closed down the hall. Very slowly you sit up from the love-seat and creep to your bag. You take out a notebook and quietly write a note to them.

_I'm sorry to leave in the middle of the night, but I can't bring you two with me. I made this mess myself, I have to clean it up myself. Thank you for being my friends and giving me the courage to keep going forward. I love you both very much. You have my permission to yell at me and punch me in the guts next time we see each other._

_Love, Frisk_

You set the note on the table and carry your shoes and bag to the door. You don't breath a sigh of relief until you're past the entrance to Undyne's cave. You sit and pull on your shoes, lacing them up tightly. The tears in your sweater need to be patched, but you don't have the time for that so you continue on.

After walking through Waterfall for a while you begin to notice the ground has changed. And not just the fact that the excess water is gone, but that there is glowing grass beneath you. It's gorgeous.

You enter a large cavern and the grass narrows in font of you in a long path. Not seeing any other options you follow the glowing grass. It goes on for much longer than you expected. The cavern must be massive. You begin to get tired when you reach the end of the path. It stops abruptly in the darkness. A trio of mushrooms sits at the very edge, but nothing else.

You look behind you and the glowing grass has vanished. Your heart leaps to your throat. You can't see where you came from.

You cautiously step onto the darkened grass and feel a nauseating sensation crawls up your leg. You scream in horror and step back onto the grass. A demonic cackle fills the cavern. God, you NEVER want whatever's in the dark to touch you again.

It felt like pestilence itself seeping into your soul. You scramble back as the darkness closes in.

A tiny squeak is so out of place that it distract you. Your hand has smashed into the trio of mushrooms. You curiously squeeze them and they squeak again. You giggle near hysteria in relief, both at the ridiculous sound and the newly glowing path ahead of you.

You scramble to your feet and chase after the glowing grass, this time glancing over your shoulder every few feet. You gulp when the path disappears behind you. Another trio of mushrooms apear at the end of this path. You bend over and give them a little poke. They squeak and the path lights up ahead of you. You giggle again at the sound. It's relieving to hear such a silly sound in a place like this.

After a few more mushroom squeaking you find the end of the unsettling cavern. It opens into small stone passage. You squeeze into the passageway, seeing no other option. There's a strange black goo splattered on the stone. You avoid touching it.

You see the passage opening ahead of you at the same time you feel that disturbing, soul-sucking feeling you experienced in the cavern.

You yelp and sprint for the opening as something laughs mirthlessly behind you. You duck too late and smack your face into the edge of the opening. You groan when you hit the ground and think that someone put that overhang there on purpose.

Maniacal laughter chills your blood as you black out.

**

You wake with a groan.

The world is spinning and you feel like you're going to vomit. After what feels like ages you can lift your head and your vision slowly returns.

"Hoi!" A cheery voice says.

You blink in surprise at...is that a cat? You can't really tell what it is. It's small enough to be a cat, but it has human eyes and hair that's pulled back into a bun. It tilts its head and smiles a little too wide.

Pressure on your skin.

You look down and are shocked to see you're tied up. Blood has dripped down your face to your sweater. You frown. Man, Toriel is going to be upset when she sees how damaged your sweater is.

You blink. It's hard to think straight. Your hands are tied behind your back, you're sitting on to ground with rope tied around your waist. Your legs are tied strangely. It seems familiar? They're tied bent and you're sitting on top of them. You can't feel your feet.

"I'm Temmie." The cat says, padding forward. It's about the size of a large house-cat, lean. It wears a tailored suit. You notice how nice it's hair is, it shines.

"And you..." It continues, pausing for a moment to lick its paw before it walks closer. "Didn't pay the tax to pass through my cavern."

Temmie's eyes flash red and it slashes at your leg. You cry out in surprised pain as blood seeps through your jeans in four even lines. Temmie sits and licks its bloodied claws while looking at you. "Mmm, I don't get human very often. I'm going to have to fine you quite a bit, I'm afraid."

It slashes your arm next and you yelp in pain. Temmie laughs and drags its claws down your back slowly, only pausing to navigate around the rope. You shudder when you feel a slimy tongue caressing the wounds on your back.

"You must be the one my scientist has been telling me about." It continues, padding slowly around to see you. Blood is smeared on its white fur and its eyes are a shade darker than that. You grimace, but struggle to realize why what it said was weird.

"Y-your scientist?" You question.

Temmie smiles again, wide and disturbingly. "Yes. M-my scientist." It mocks your stutter and slaps a paw onto your other thigh, digging its claws in deep and pulling slowly. "You're the one trying to 'reset' everything. Aren't you?"

You groan in pain, trying to keep from yelling out. "ANSWER WHEN YOUR KING SPEAKS PEASANT!" Temmie screams at you, its face morphs into something horrific. Too many teeth, its jaws too large for that small face. You cry out when darkness circles you. It digs into your wounds and you scream in horror at the feeling of something so impure inside you. It's hundreds of times worse than in the cavern.

Without warning it stops. You gasp for air, sobbing into the dirt. You must've fallen over at some point.

Temmie walks closer, leaning down to see you eye-to-eye. "Answer. Your. King." It says, punctuating every word with venom. Darkness swirls behind it, under its paws, reaching for you. You shudder and struggle to remember how to speak.

"Y-y-yes." You reply, too terrified to keep your teeth from chattering. A deep cold is writhing in your chest. A feeling you've never experienced before.

"There, was that so difficult?" Temmie smiles soothingly and the darkness ebbs away. It gently taps your face with a paw before sinking its claws into your cheek bone. You wince, afraid to make any other sound.

"N-no." You answer, knowing now that it wants you to talk. The claws retract and it pats your face again, smiling sweetly.

"Now, what is your end goal here, human?" It asks, walking around you. You swallow, trying to muster the courage to speak. The cold thing inside you is making it very difficult, you feel weaker. You don't have the strength to resist. "I-I'm...trying to..." It's so difficult to breathe with the ropes tied so tightly.

"I want to save...the underground. Fix...what I've done."

Temmie has circled back around to you. It looks at you pensively. "And how are you going to manage that, human?" It bats at your bleeding face and licks its paw, staring at you expectantly. "I don't...know yet. I'm just...helping them...the monst...monsters....one at...a...time."

It nods, seeming satisfied with your answer. Relief floods you as the ice fades back just a little. You let your head rest on the floor. "Hm. That's going to be pretty difficult. Because I need one final soul to escape this hell."

You look quizzically at Temmie.

"Oh you haven't heard the story?" It smirks. "Looks like you're buddy-buddy with Sans like he's threatened." It tisks. "But I don't know why he thought you were really dangerous. I mean, really?" Temmie slashes at your chest, unimpressed by the sound you made.

It licks its paw while it starts talking again, pausing to lick every few seconds. "So humanity banished us to this special corner of hell years and years ago because they were terrified of us. As they should be. We can take their souls and it makes us incredibly powerful. I've got twelve inside me right now." It smiles broadly at you and colors flash rapidly behind its eyes. "This makes me able to take the souls of monsters. I wiped out my own kind and now their souls are my greatest power."

The darkness rolls around it. Your heart pounds in terror.

"But in order to break the barrier the humans created, we would need the power equivalent of 13 human souls. Monsters souls can't match up to that raw energy, no matter how many I acquire." It seems disappointed about this. "So to break the barrier and continue my reign onto the surface world I need one, last, soul. Yours darling. Aren't you lucky? You'll get to see the undoing of the universe!" Temmie cackles madly and it sounds like a chorus of wails echoes around her.

You begin to tremble as that icy feeling in your chest returns.

"But first, I want to keep you as my little play thing. How does that sound, human? I'll spare you as long as you can keep me entertained."

You want to vomit in its face as its darkness creeps closer and wraps its tendrils around you, sinking into your wounds again.

Temmies face twists into something terrifying, more than before. "WHAT DO YOU SAY TO YOUR KING WHEN THEY HAVE CHOSEN TO SPARE YOU?" It bellows, ballooning in size.

You snarl, finding your DETERMINATION and fighting back the ice in your chest. "Fuck you very much." You spit with as much malice as you can muster.

Its eyes burn red, its face is haloed by the light. And it laughs! For a moment your DETERMINATION wavers and the ice moves in quickly. "You will be such fun..." Temmie says, crouching low on the floor to lick its teeth in front of you.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some rough intimate times mentioned, but not in detail. This chapter has more torture, and suicides.
> 
> "...." means a time skip while dreaming.

You aren't really sure how long you've been in the dungeon. The only time you really get a "break" is when Temmie shoves food down your throat to keep you alive. It's very reminiscent of what Sans told you you had done to him before.

There are times when you fade out for what feel like hours at a time, Temmie will be laughing about things you don't really remember happening. After some time Temmie unties you. Your body aches like a jello-mold of pain. It takes a few "sessions" of feeding for you to regain your ability to move properly.

Temmie had only untied you so you would fight back. You comply with earnest for a while but after being taken down by their darkness of temmie-souls if you actually managed to get a hit on them was very discouraging. So you begin to just take it.

You scream when they want you to, you beg, plead, cry, wail, pull your hair out in huge chunks. But nothing works, and everything is set back to normal when you eat.

Temmie has never killed you. It doesn't seem to know that you have the ability to return, but you know that's not why they resist. They want to take your soul when they're good and ready. But in the mean time...

You scream until your vocal cords tear. You've done it so much that you imagine you can feel every little sinew and muscle in your throat rip. The darkness seeps into your wounds and wraps itself around your soul. You can feel it slithering over you, capable of erasing you with the slightest bit of pressure.

You hit the floor and bounce, wheezing for air.

Temmie laughs at you. "I'm not sure I'll ever tire of you, Human. Such a good little toy... And in the mean time, it's been fun playing with all those new friends of yours. Undyne and Papyrus seem to think they can prevent me from taking the people who belong to me. They'll be getting a visit shortly. And just think, if you had simply left this world alone when you came in...they would have never even known the difference."

It turns and you distantly hear a door slam. You can't really see in the darkness. You begin to think that the darkness never leaves with Temmie, that it surrounds you in a massive bubble. Always watching.

You have not cried for help once. But you have imagined it many times. You know it will do no good but...you can't let your friends be taken and treated like this. You have to warn them. So you have to try and...

"Help." You rasp. Your voice cracks and you think you feel your throat bleeding. "P...please. Someone. Help them. Help my friends."

You sigh and quickly fall asleep, exhausted from Temmie's "fun" that day.

***

"Jesus Christ..." You distantly hear.

You slowly open your eyes. That wasn't Temmies voice. Something grabs you and you scream, wildly flailing as you scramble back.

"Hey, hey, easy." The voice is gentle. A red eye glows in the dark. You scream again, crawling backwards as quickly as you can until you smack into something solid. Your head swims from the impact.

You're too dizzy to protest as Sans lifts you from the floor. "J-Just kill me, please. Make it quick. I ca-can't do this anymore." You plead, gripping his shirt.

He shushes you, cradling you closer to him. His red eye fades to black. "Just stay quiet, okay? I got you, kiddo."

His voice is gentle and calming. You curl closer to him and he carries you through the dark. A door opens in a flash of red. You hear screaming, but you can't see anything in the blinding light. You haven't seen light since Temmie brought you here.

The screaming grows louder and you struggle to see in the light. Sans' hands grip you tighter as he slows to a stop.

You can make out a dark puddle on a golden tiled floor. It's speared throughout with bones, pulling it taught across the floor. The writhing mess is what's screaming. It stretches up, tearing with the effort and then melts back onto the tiles with another round of mind-grating screams. You weakly grip Sans' shirt when you see Temmie in the farthest corner of the massive room.

It's angrily shaking inside a cell of red bones that are slowly closing on it. "SANS! RELEASE ME! I AM YOUR KING!" Temmie screeches as Sans walks past them without even looking. "YOU KNOW THIS WON'T KILL ME! I HAVE SOULS! I WILL LIVE FOREVER SANS! I WILL KILL YOU SAAAAAANS!"

"If it won't kill you, why are you so scared?" Sans says gruffly before exiting the judgement hall. You're trembling again. Was this really happening? Were you finally free?

There's a flash of black and you're in Waterfall. Sans shushes you again when you begin to babble incoherently. He walks to a grey door and it opens without him touching it. Inside it feels bizarrely still. Peaceful.

"No one can find us here. It's impossible." Sans says walking through the narrow passageway to a small room. You think you see the shadow of something but its gone before you can be sure.

"W-we have to warn Snowdin." You tell him. "Temmie is going to attack them."

"Temmie ain't doing shit." He says, setting you on the ground. "Plus this place is kind of a time-bubble. While we're here, nothing will happen to them because we're outside of the timeline."

You glance around the small room. It's a drab grey like it was solid concrete. "You should rest. I'll get you something to eat." You grab Sans' arm when he moves to walk away. His red eye looks uncertainly at you. After a long moment you let go though you don't want to.

You don't want to be alone.

"H-how long was I gone?" You ask. He frowns at you. "When did you leave?"

"I um I left Undyne and Papyrus at Undynes house a week after you broke my collar bone." You tell him. His eyes widen, his red eye sparks. "You were there for two fucking months?!"

Your heart skips a beat. He growls. "I should've ripped them apart." After a moment he rubs the spot between his eyes and sighs. "I'm going to get you food and tell Pap you're okay. I will be right back. It won't even feel like I've left when I open that door."

You nod and he stands to leave. Your chest constricts when the door shuts and you're alone. The door opens immediately and you relax. He wasn't kidding.

He's returned with a large backpack and two sleeping bags rolled under each arm. "Pap is mad. He was a nervous wreck, but he'll live." Sans snaps the sleeping bags open and slides the bag off his back, pushing it at you.

"You'll feel better if you eat." he says dryly, sitting on top of the sleeping bag he's claimed.

"Wh...why are you being nice to me?" You ask.

His face falls and his eyes go black. "I heard you ask to help...your friends. Not yourself, but your friends."

"You heard me? How?"

He closes his eyes, he looks exhausted. "I just did, okay?"

You hesitate before you open the bag for something to eat. You aren't hungry. It felt like ages since you had had an appetite. "You didn't have to save me." You tell him. He's silent. "I definitely deserved a taste of what I put you through." You look up at him but he's still sitting quietly with his eyes closed.

"Thank you, Sans."

He opens his red eye and looks at you before he shimmies into the sleeping bag. "Eat as much as you want. I'm not hungry. We can stay here as long as you need to get better."

Tears sting your eyes and you bite your lip to keep yourself quiet. You find some granola bars and nibble at them, wiping your face every few minutes. You make yourself eat until your wounds are all healed.

You pull off your shredded sweater and throw it in the corner. "There's clothes in the large pocket." Sans says. His back is to you and his voice startles you. You stare at his back as he adjusts to get more comfortable.

You change into the sweatpants and oversized t-shirt. A new pair of underwear and a new sports bra were shoved in, still in the shopping bag. You chuckle a little at imagining Sans buying these and then hastily shoving them in the bag before someone noticed.

You are in desperate need of a shower, but that can wait. You wonder at the new scars that have appeared on your skin. The dip in your forearm from Undynes spear is overlayed with thin lines. Your entire body is covered in parallel lines of varying depth and length. There is nothing to show that the mass of Temmie souls ever touched you, they left no mark.

You are relieved to feel that the icy terror has left your chest. You try to sleep several times but your nightmares are so intense they wake Sans.

He begrudgingly scooches his sleeping bag closer to you, his back still facing you. "Can I hold you?" You ask, terrified of even closing your eyes. He sighs deeply. "If it means you'll fucking sleep, _I'll_ hold you."

He rolls over with a weird expression. A mix of embarrassment, anger, and sleep deprivation. He gestures for you to roll away and you do. Sans roughly pulls you close to him and grumbles under his breath. You squeak at the sudden and callous movement.

After a moment he relaxes, not gripping you so tightly. You wiggle until you're comfortable, curling into a slight fetal position and snugly tucking yourself against him. "Now, go the fuck to sleep, Karrin." He snaps sleepily.

You don't wince at the name. After you're certain Sans has fallen asleep, his breathing slowed to even breaths, you carefully lay your arm over his and tuck his hand under your side. You feel safe like this.

When you sleep you don't dream.

**

You wake up to the smell of bacon sizzling. You sit up and your stomach growls. Sans is slouching in front of a hot plate, lazily flipping slices of bacon with his red magic. He glances up at you when he hears your stomach. He smiles weakly, laughing shortly.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey." he jokes as you stretch. "You sleep like the dead." he adds resting his chin in his hand.

"I'm sorry I woke you." You say, standing and sitting across from him. He shrugs. "I was in a shitty mood. Not exactly unexpected considering."

"Thank you for the clothes."

He shrugs again, looking back at the bacon. "How do monsters have bacon? I haven't seen any pigs."

He smiles a little. "It's not bacon. It's fake-on. There are a few pig monsters who wouldn't be very happy if we started eating pork chops and pigs ears." You laugh at that and his smile widens. "There isn't a lot of real meat down here, mostly because we don't have many domesticated animals. We have rabbits, some mini-cows and chickens and that's it. The cow-monsters were some of the ones that were wiped out when we were forced underground. They were massive, and our best offense."

He flips the fake-on. "So you slept alright?" he asks.

You nod. "Good." He replies and plates the fake-on. "I think we should stay here a while longer. You need to be mentally better before we go back out there. Plus, it'll fuck with Temmie if you see them soon and you're not scared." He winks at you and you laugh. His face lights up for a moment.

You both eat your breakfast and end up talking for hours. He asks what happened after he left and howls with laughter when you tell him the "fuck you very much" line you said to Temmie. He thinks its the best thing ever.

"You always were a kick in the teeth, bud." He tells you. You ask what he's been up to and he shrugs, scratching his skull. "Research, training, sleeping. The usual." He pauses to glance at you but looks away when you notice.

"I was thinking about the things you've said and that Pap forgave me. I hadn't seen him since the last time when I went to tell him you were alright. He...he was so fucking happy to see me. It was weird. But nice. I've missed him. So I guess....thank you for not letting me kill him."

You aren't sure what to say. "You're welcome." You decide that's the best, least crushing thing to say. 'Of course. Murder is bad, silly' seemed kind of harsh.

For about two weeks you both stay in the timeless room, sleeping often (he will pull you close when you lie down even after you stopped asking him to), talking when you're both awake and slowly feeling like yourself again. You start to see a different Sans, a more care-free, joking Sans. It feels nice to see him unwind for the first time.

You decide to tell him when you wake up that you're ready to leave. You need to face the underground again and get back on your journey.

Just before you fall asleep you hear a soft voice whisper in your ear. You smile, assuming its Sans talking in his sleep.

**

_You sit in the hot-springs very unsure of the emotions rolling in your cold heart. Snow falls hard as steam curls up in big circles._

_You had meant to sleep with Sans as another hook in his soul. Another anchor from himself to you. One more thing to hold over him. But... you had enjoyed it._

_You run your fingers through your long hair and tie it back in a bun before sinking lower into the churning water. He had been gentle, nervous. You were neither of each others first, so where did these feelings come from?_

_Had you fallen for your own game?_

_You laugh out loud at the absurdity. You stand and walk back to the empty Snowdin, water melts the snow around you._

_No. You will give in to your desires, but with your own rules. You want to posses him. You want him to need you so desperately that he can think of nothing else but how to please you. You will have him all to yourself in this world, and the next, and the one after that. He will be yours for all of time._

_This is an acceptable plan. Your unwelcome feelings of...companionship will fade and you will own him, mind, body and soul._

_Sans is surprised when you open the front door. He drops his coffee mug with a crash. Steam still rolls from your bare skin. You untie your hair and walk past him upstairs. You wish you could keep a picture of the blank expression on his face, the small opaque shadow of a blush across his invisible cheeks. It is frame-worthy._

_..._

_Your plan has backfired._

_Sans sleeps soundly beside you with his arms weakly wrapped around your waist. The blankets bunch into your lap where you sit up, furiously chewing your thumbnail._

_A...tenderness you had not expected had entered your heart. Instead of creating another aspect of him you could control, you had managed to become...attached._

_You groan loudly in frustration and slide from the bed, beginning to pace the room. Sans drowsily opens his eyes. "Wh-" he pauses to yawn "-aat's wrong?" he asks with a stretch. You had never thought bones could be enough to stop you in your tracks, you are wrong._

_You turn and continue pacing, angrier now. The bed creaks and you feel a cool hand grab yours. You freeze as Sans embraces you from behind, his chin resting on your shoulder._

_"You're upset." He says simply._

_"Yes." You reply._

_"Is it me?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Do you want me to leave?"_

_You don't answer. You step away from his hold and reach for the sickle on the nightstand. When you turn to face him his eyes are white. He assumes you're going to kill him and he waits for the blow._

_You step closer to him and gently touch his cheek. You allow yourself this tender moment. You are deeply curious what it feels like to...care. Sans looks back at you confused and surprised. You blink at him, not sure of yourself anymore._

_Very slowly you step closer and kiss his teeth, feeling his invisible lips. You close your eyes, letting yourself kiss him like you've never kissed anyone. He pulls you close until there is no space between you two._

_When you pull back, you're panting. Your heart thunders in your chest at the look in his eyes. You smile, the first genuine smile you've given him in eons worth of timelines and his mouth falls open slightly._

_"Sans..."_

_"Yes, Karrin?" He asks holding your face in his hands._

_"I-I love you."_

_His eyes go wide in shock. But you already made your choice. The sickle cuts deep into your throat, too deep to feel at first. The blade falls to the floor as you lurch forward. Sans cries out and catches you, holding you in his arms as he sinks to the floor._

_You've never seen Sans cry before or since._

_For a moment you wish you hadn't cut your throat so deeply. A part of you wants to tell him why you've done this. That you can't face him in a world like this, not when you've forced him to create it with you. There's no way he could ever really love you if you've removed all other options._

_With the remainder of your strength you reach up and wipe the tears from his face. He clutches your hand desperately. "Don't do this." He pleads._

_But your DETERMINATION to stay has left._

_You want to love him for real. No threats, no torture, no manipulation._

_***_

_*CONTINUE?_

 

_*YES   NO  
_

 

_YES   *NO_

 

_*RESET?_

 

_*YES   NO_

 

_*...._

 

_*TRUE RESET...?_

 

_*YES   NO_

 

_*THIS WILL ERASE ALL PROGRESS. ARE YOU CERTAIN?_

 

_*....they deserve better_

 

_*YES   NO_

 

_*Good luck..._

 

_***_

_You think it will be fun to toy with Sans in a new way. You deny to yourself that you are mostly curious about the experience rather than actually controlling him._

_But you suppose you can have it both ways. Sans certainly enjoys both, the control and the experience itself. But with no other options or outlet, he doesn't have much choice._

_Things begin sadistic, masochistic...but that quickly grows boring. You realize one day that you want something more. Something with meaning._

_But there is no way to bring that up to him, not now. Not after everything you've done, after everything you've forced him to do._

_You watch him from where you lounge in the throne where he sleeps in the overgrown flower garden in a patch of dozy light. You smile a little. He looks so peaceful. Tears spring in your eyes as you realize he will never look that at peace while looking at you._

_Angrily you stand and wipe at your face, rushing from the throne room in shame. You don't see Sans stare after you, confused._

_You don't talk to him after that. You know what you want to ask, but are afraid, no, petrified of the answer. You're so certain his rejection would destroy you that you can't even speak in his presence. You're such a coward. That's all you are, a cowardly, bitter child._

_You don't know how long he tries desperately to get you to talk, to emote, to do anything at all. You let him barrage you with bones and throw you into walls, but you can't lift a finger against him. He would die and then you would be truly alone. You can't talk to him, you can't fuck him, you can't fight him. All you can do is silently love him._

_You nearly reset the time-line more than once. But you realize that this wouldn't be a true-reset. You have to end a time-line for there to be any chance of erasing his memory. If you just jumped back to the beginning of this time-line, Sans would remember enough to hate you and you would have no chance to start again fresh._

_You wish you could just forget everything, forget all the timelines, forget the depraved joy you got from torturing everyone, forget this deep, soul-crushing ache you feel when you look at him and know he will never forgive you, never love you._

_After a while Sans stops appearing. You are terrified that you've lost him, that you pushed him too far and he's taken his life. You search the entire underground without stopping before you find him in the most obvious place, his own home._

_Snowdin is in shambles. Snow falls hard and bitter-cold. The lights are on in the log cabin. Exhausted, you drag yourself to Sans' room. He is sleeping deeply, his body sprawled over the bed, his right leg hanging over the edge._

_You smile and crawl into bed with him. He's so exhausted he doesn't wake as you collapse on top of him and quickly fall asleep._

_You wake in a different position. Sans faces you still sleeping soundly. His arm gingerly holds you closer. You know when he wakes he will be furious, he will be livid, he will hate you. And you deserve it._

_But he deserves better._

_You have to end this time-line to save him from the madness you've created in him. A lump catches in your throat as you pull your sickle from your bag on the floor. You gently stroke his cheek and kiss his forehead. "I love you." You whisper. "I'm going to fix this, I promise."_

_With the last of your DETERMINATION you stay silent as you hook the end of your blade under your navel and tear it to your collar bone. It is more painful than anything you've ever experienced on any time-line._

_You can't cry out, you can't begin to describe the agony you're in._

_But it's worth it. For him._

_***_

_*CONTINUE?_

 

_YES    *NO_

 

_*RESET?_

 

_*YES   NO_

 

_*TRUE RESET...?_

 

_*YES   NO_

 

_*THIS WILL ERASE ALL PROGRESS. ARE YOU CERTAIN?_

 

_(you wait...you're not sure for how long)_

 

_*YES   NO_

 

_***_

_You stretch groggily in bed. "Good morning, sunshine." You hear a sarcastic voice say. "Did you have sweet dreams?"_

_You roll and look at Sans, a huge smile plastered on his face. "No, I had a bad dream. I think it had something to do with Sir. Lancelot...and his horse?"_

_He blinks at you, his smile faltering a little. "It was a knight's mare." You explain, snickering._

_Sans snorts and immediately starts laughing. "That was probably the WORST or BEST one you've ever told me!" He says, holding his sides._

_You beam. You don't get him that good very often. After a while he recovers and sighs. You lean forward and lightly kiss his forehead. There's a shadow over his cheekbones that tells you he's blushing._

_You both sigh happily in an embrace as this memory fades..._

_*_

_You're lying on your side unable to move. That same time-line torments you repeatedly. You wonder if Sans ever has the same flashes of happy memories that you do. You would ask him if he weren't trying to kill you right now._

_You've lost count of how many times you've revived, but you know your DETERMINATION is depleted. You won't be coming back after this next death._

_You failed. You aren't sure how many times you've done this, because it seems like this time-line is echo-free. You can't reach out to other time-lines from this one, they can only present themselves when they arrive. You've seen enough ripples and echoes to know this isn't how the others work. This one is protected somehow, like it's encased in a tamper-free bubble._

_Following that reasoning, you had to have done this countless times. And you have no idea if you've made any progress._

_That all too familiar pressure is in your chest again. Your head lolls back as you rise to your feet. Sans steps closer, pulling your face down to see his._

_You smile at him, loving him all the same. Maybe not the same way you two love each other in the blissful time-line, but in a way you've never cared for anyone before or ever will._

_"Goodbye, Karrin. See you at the beginning." He quickly kisses you and a terrifying, bone-rattling scream engulfs you in light and you are gone._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It may seem like Sans changed overnight. He kind of did... I wasn't being lazy in the story-telling, I promise. He's not exactly stable yet but because of the incredibly unhealthy reliance he had on Karrin in the other timelines, he's used to taking her lead. At first he was testing you to see if you were bluffing, then he decided to try vengeance, now he's just trying to adjust to the new personality and it's really upsetting to him. But he's very slowly finding his self-reliance and independence again.
> 
> On a random note, You've been in the underground for approximately four months.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some rough intimate times mentioned, but not explicitly.

_A memory floats to the surface... It's the only one like it, there are no side-jumps, no-resets, no self-deaths. It's a straight line into oblivion._

_It feels like it's millennia old, safely tucked away in the deepest, darkest corner of the void._

_Your leg bounces rapidly. You're leaning your arms against the control panel of Alphy's lab and staring up at the screen. You fiddle with the dials to speed through the footage._

_Where had you gone wrong? What was happening to you?_

_You couldn't remember exactly when it happened, but you felt different. Anxious, scared, protective. When did this start?_

_You search through hours and hours of footage, knowing Sans is safely miles away in the castle dungeon. You know he has the ability to leave whenever he wants, but he chooses to stay because you told him to. He wouldn't do anything to make you angry._

_You wake with a start, your face peels away from the control panel. When had you fallen asleep? You wonder._

_Something soft is draped over your shoulders._

_You sit up and rub at your eyes, groaning with fatigue. "A robe?" you question, looking at the floor-length hooded sheet of fabric. It's soft, like rabbit fur. It smells like cedar.  
_

_You smile a little and sigh, throwing the robe back over your shoulders and snuggling into it before returning to the screen._

_He didn't listen to you. But you aren't angry._

_You shake your head at the thought. No. Now you will have to be sure to punish him for this, you can't...you can't let him love you. You don't deserve it._

_With renewed DETERMINATION you search through the footage for where you changed, where your path became so drastically different._

_After countless hours or days of searching you find it. A simple 2 second blip in time caught on tape._

_You see yourself walking with him through the abandoned, flooded Waterfall. You see yourself reach for his hand with the tiniest of smiles, a small glimmer in your eye. But immediately you freeze, jerking away before he notices. He glances back at you blankly and the expression hurts to see on screen._

_With a deep sigh you push away from the large screen. You don't know what you'll do with this information. What did it really do now that you know when you changed. You turn and gasp. Sans is standing in the shadows, his face dimly lit by the computer screen._

_"How long...have you been there?" You ask._

_"You've never turned around." he replies._

_A flush of anger and embarrassment rises in your cheeks. "I told you to stay in the dungeon!" He lightheartedly shrugs. "You tell me to do a lot of things."_

_"Why are you here?" You snap, upset that you've been spied on for this long without noticing. Or maybe you just pretended not to?_

_He shrugs again, scratching the back of his skull. "Why are you here? You've been watching years worth of footage searching for something. But I couldn't figure out what until you finally stood up."_

_Your heart begins to pound._

_He takes a step closer. You mirror him, stepping back. "You've been acting so werid lately. In fact, ever since the underground was cleared and you decided not to open the barrier you've been different." He takes another step, so do you. Your hands are clenched around the robe, holding it tightly by your neck._

_"Now, I know there are time-lines where we take this party upstairs. The humans try hard to stop us, but with so many powerful souls in us both and our DETERMINATION they never stand a chance. So...we aren't staying here because you're worried we will die up there."_

_Sans takes another step and you back into the control panel. You're trapped. He places his hands on either side of you on the control panel and leans close. "You're scared I'll leave." he says._

_You shudder. "You're scared you'll be all alone, forever. And you should be." He growls. "The only reason I'm still here is because I know dying is useless, you'll just bring me back. Killing you is useless, you'll just come back and we'll fight until you get bored. You waited too long to escape Karrin, I know what you're all about now. I would've followed you above ground and fought by your side. But now...?"_

_You gulp as he stares unwavering into your eyes. He scoffs. "But now you're just a sad little creature, desperate for affection. Terrified of your own growing weakness."_

_You're frozen, he's so close now you can feel his cool breath on your cheeks. "You've given up and finally realized what drove you to kill every single thing but me."_

_He smiles and it's not kind. It's a sadistic, evil thing. "Jealousy. Obsession. Your own twisted brand of love."_

_He laughs at you, throwing his head back. You feel a split second of heart-breaking agony in your chest before it quickly grows into rage. You snarl and shove him back. "I OWN you!" You scream at him as he stumbles back._

_He doubles over, laughing so hard he can barely catch his breath. "This-this is just...!" He howls again with laughter, holding his sides. "I can't believe it! A-after all this time." He wheezes, coughing and has to sit down._

_"You-you sick, twisted fuck!" he yells. "You've murdered EVERYONE!" His laughter unsettles you now. "Because you-you're in love with me?" He stops laughing, trying to catch his breath._

_Your cheeks burn with self-hatred. How could you have been so stupid as to let him spy without noticing?_

_There's a flash of black and he's suddenly holding you too tight for comfort. Your heart races. "I'm going to get you back, and there isn't a fucking thing you can do about it."_

_You snarl and shove him. He doesn't budge. You steel yourself, ready for the killing blow. You squeak in surprise when he leans close and he kisses you. He kisses you so roughly it makes your lip bleed. You're slammed into the control panel, the air leaves your lungs in a mostly enjoyable moan._

_"You really are a freak." He scoffs with a smile._

_...._

_You wake on the floor of Alphys' lab. Your body aches, bruises have bloomed on your skin in varying degrees of severity. Your bottom lip is swollen pretty badly. There's a bite on your neck that begins to bleed after you stretch. Your throat still feels raw from screaming._

_You shiver with desire as your hands brush the bite. Sans had some pretty impressive fangs. You had always assumed he had "human" teeth, but there were more monster aspects than you bothered to notice before._

_You run your fingers through your hair, feeling a mix of excitement, elation and the smallest twinge of pride._

_He really was yours after all. The "relationship" was far, far from ordinary. But since when was ordinary something you wanted?_

_You glance at the skeleton sleeping beside you, barely covered by his jacket. You smile with a dark wonder at the shadowed spots over his bones. So that's what it looked like when Sans bruised._

_Something about the sight saddens you, even though it had just a moment ago lifted your spirits. You remember vividly you both had actually tried to kill each other and backed down. The fresh bite on your neck was only centimeters from your jugular, he had changed his mind at the very last second and still been angry enough to draw blood. You had choked him at one point long enough that his arms had gone limp before you realized in horror what you were doing._

_You stand, wincing at the new flavors of pain that causes. Your heart aches at remembering and you rub your hands over your face with a long sigh. In the moment it had been fun, exciting, so damn gratifying. But now... You glance back at the skeleton on the floor who has propped one arm under his head to look at you._

_You stare at each other for a long quiet moment._

_"I know that look." He says. "You're thinking about resetting everything."_

_"I...I want to fix this."_

_You slowly hug yourself after the confession. He shrugs. "We've done this dance before. And it never really changes. Sure, you have fun, you see new things. You torture me, kill everyone and then eventually you get bored and kill yourself to reset everything. You've done it so many times that you've irreparably damaged every beings core-self, including your own."_

_Your eyes widen. You've damaged...yourself?_

_He lazily glances up at you. "You've done too much damage to fix. There aren't enough time-lines in the multiverse to undo the ripples you've left in your wake. This will continue until we become dust in the void."_

_"Then...what am I supposed to do?"_

_He shrugs, closing his eyes. "You're the DETERMINED one, you figure it out." he says rolling away from you._

_...._

_You dress and make your way down to the depths of the lab. You've never explored this far before. It has always unsettled you, the groaning bellows and sparks of electricity put you on edge._

_There has to be something here, you just know it. There have to be journals or books or research somewhere about restoring the universe! There has to be a way to return everyone's core self to their real self._

_It's too dark to search very far. Your flippant attitude has gone. The numbness that had encased your cold, cold heart has vanished. You feel vulnerable and terrified._

_It had been centuries since you'd felt anything but perverse joy and rage. But something has woken in your soul and it won't be ignored._

_...._

_After days of searching and reading by damn candlelight you jump in shock when lights suddenly snap on. "Bad for your eyes to read in the dark." Sans says._

_You actually scream in fear for a moment. It had been so quiet and dark you never thought you'd hear a voice ever again._

_He scoffs at you, tossing a bag from his shoulder to the table you're sitting at. "Hadn't seen you since... Well, figured you were going to starve soon."_

_You open the bag. It's filled with instant noodles, spam and cans of corn.You look back at him questioning his choices. He shrugs. "Hey, it was all I could find. Not like anyone's around to make more fucking cans of soup and shit."_

_You nod and sigh. Your melting heart had begun to feel increasingly upset about your past lately. "What are you even doing down here?" he asked taking a seat beside you. Your heart flutters into your throat._

_"I'm hoping," You swallow, trying to clear your head. Just him sitting so close has you feeling an assortment of new emotions. You find yourself wanting to crawl into his lap, hold him and kiss him so gently it takes his breath away. "I'm hoping I can find a way to reverse everything, to reset all of us to the original timeline." You say, looking away to speak._

_He's leaning on the table, his head propped up in his hand. "And how the fuck are you going to do that?"_

_You groan, your shoulders slumping. You run your hands over your tired face. "I don't know. All I know is there are other time-lines, other possibilities and I have fucked them all over by being the vile, god-awful, broken person that I am. And if I have to search until the end of fucking time, through every single possibility, slight shift in outcomes, and re-live the same mistakes until I go insane I will do it. There HAS to be a way to fix this, Sans! I don't...I don't know what happened to me. But suddenly I can't-can't live with what I've done. I want everything to reset, truly reset. And I want to erase the pain I've caused. Let everyone be happy."_

_You close your eyes and hang your head in your hands._

_"I am suddenly burdened with this bleeding heart, with feelings and emotions so far removed from me that I had forgotten it was possible to feel anything but rage and depraved excitement."_

_"Kid..."_

_Your head snaps up. Sans is sitting up straight. You had forgotten he had two eyes. For a moment you both stare at each other. "Is that you?" he whispers, reaching for your face. Your eyebrows knit in confusion as he very gently pulls you into a hug._

_"Do you remember me now?" He asks. You blink in surprise at his soft voice. Do you remember another Sans? You slowly hug him back and think hard. He said you had damaged yourself as well as others._

_You close your eyes and throw your awareness as far back as you can muster. Flashes of time-lines and past lives race through your brain. So much death. You shudder. But then you pause. A past-self is killing repeatedly with a purpose, with the intent to damage the original beyond repair. Your blood runs cold as you watch them reset over and over to murder the same creature until an awful thing happens. The creature becomes one you recognize. The Queen. The beast that prowls the ruins at the hole humans fall through so often._

_The memory fades and you push further until a bright light floods your eyes. This time-line is foggy, bright, softly colored. The monsters smaller, gentler, jovial. You see a skeleton wearing a blue jacket, a smile fixed on his face. A smile that's fake, but not hiding the deep sadness you've grown used to seeing._

_You gasp and feel yourself torn to your present, with Sans desperately hugging you. "Do you remember, Frisk?" he asks shaking._

_You grip him tight. You hold him like he will vanish from existence if you dare to let go. "I saw it. I saw the first time." You say in awe. "Oh God, what happened? Why? Why?!" you cry out sobbing._

_"Why did I..? Why was I...? What happened to me?!"_

_Sans' fingers dig into your back. "I don't know, kid. But you...you changed. You just snapped one day. I didn't...I didn't think you'd ever remember. Oh God, it's so good to see you again."_

_"How do you remember? I couldn't even see everything."_

_He pulls back, you cling to him when he leans away. "I...I've never showed you. Not one instance of you because I was terrified of what you would do."_

_You don't let him back away from you, you can't let him go. You hold his arms so tightly your muscles shake. He smiles so kindly it breaks your heart. He carefully grasps one of your hands with his. "I'm not running, I promise. We're going together."_

_Something rings in your collective memory about how much he hates promises and you gradually relax. "A small shortcut." He says._

_A flash of black and you're both in Snowdin. The snow is coming down so hard it couldn't be anywhere else. He leads you through the blizzard to his house and around to the back. You gasp as he slowly vanishes into thin air, your arm begins to vanish too. His hand still pulls you and you follow, terrified of letting go._

_It seems you've passed through a barrier. And into a gleaming white sterile room. "This is um...my lab." he tells you._

_He explains that he was the lab assistant to the last royal scientist in the original timeline. As the timelines grew more and more distorted this part of his story was completely erased from everyone's memory. Everyone forgot his boss and that he had been the next choice for the job. He remembered the last scientist because he had been there when he died, and he was the only one who survived the accident._

_Gaster was his name. You have a very hard time remembering that, you can only vaguely recall what Sans has said about him seconds after he explains it. Sans gives you a weak smile. "No one can remember what I say about him."_

_You struggle. "G...Gaster, right?" You question._

_He smiles in surprise. "Yeah! You're the only one to ever remember that." He scratches the back of his skull. "I shouldn't be surprised considering, but it's nice to know I'm not entirely insane. Well... Not because of that anyway."_

_Your heart twinges at that._

_He continues to explain his and Gaster(?)'s research into quantum physics. The result was a rudimentary machine that could track disturbances in timelines, something Sans had found by accident when attempting to test a method of slowing a group of atoms in time while leaving others unaffected._

_What they eventually discovered was troubling. They refined the machine to show glimpses into time-lines parallel to theirs, where they were occurring at the same points in time. They learned that time would collapse onto a primary path, for the most part undisturbed (maybe deviating slightly with the infinite possibility of any variation of choices) until a frightening point in the future when timelines expanded across in infinite branches. And the divergence was fast approaching._

_They had checked and re-checked their math, their theories, everything they could think of. Sans built several more machines of varying complication to be sure what they were seeing was actually measurable._

_It was._

_He shows you the smallest version of one of his builds, it's under a thick sheet. He points to the screen and taps it. Branches appear. He taps the only one that's dark green, the others are either blue, red or white. "This is us." He says._

_The lines all continue off the edge of the screen. He circles a massive red cluster with his finger. "These are the ones that are corrupted. The blue are the few that still survive because they were completed before the corruption. White are where nothing remarkable happened, but all of those end short because they were re-set and became part of either the corrupted time-lines or survived as peaceful and were never reset by their version of you."_

_He swipes the screen to the right. The mass of crisscrossing lines converges into a thick blue line. He carefully zooms and reveals they are a mass of separate lines, most all are blue, some are white. But one is red. He zooms again until he can tap on that individual line._

_"This is the one that changes everything." He explains. "When this possibility passes the line of divergence, it takes over." He swipes the screen to the left. He taps an icon in the corner of the screen. There are more red lines than before. "Its been slowly infecting other realities. The echoes of its destruction continue to effect all the timelines."_

_He taps the icon again and a few more have popped up. He sighs deeply. "This is only a way of tracking what's happened, not a way to fix it. We tried desperately to rush our time-travel research." He explains as he taps a red line. He hesitates before he taps it again. Images flood the screen, overlapping each other. You gasp, seeing yourself coated in dust. Haphazardly walking through the underground._

_"I was only able to gain images from other time-lines after your other selves had begun to wreak havoc. Quantum theories make it nigh impossible to directly see into a timeline that's occurring simultaneously as your own." You make a face, completely lost. "There's a theory that all time-lines are layered on top of each other, everything happening at once in these infinite universes. Everything that could possibly happen is currently happening or has happened already and they're packed so tightly together that they are essentially all within reach. But we can't physically see them because that would be insanity. They lie so close together though that with the right kind of technology or magic" He winks "or a mix of both, one can see glimpses into these other realities."_

_You shake your head, knowing you've lived and experienced what he's explaining but your brain is having a very difficult time processing it._

_"The problem arises when one can shift these realities to their whim." He continues. "Even with the best of intentions, changes cause our realities to expand exponentially. Creating new branches with such speed that the structure of the very multiverse can become unstable." He touches the screen where the multitude of branching realities have dwarfed the original timelines._

_Sans closes his eyes and sighs. "By one of your other selves discovering that they could affect every instance of their resets by killing a creature over and over in quick succession, they corrupted the entirety of the multiverse."_

_He takes your other hand and holds them at chest height._

_"Imagine two timelines as" he presses your palms together "being this close together." He looks at you and you nod your understanding. He copies the position beside your hands and continues. "Now, imagine that another timeline has branched so repeatedly that it has bulged out, bumping into the reality beside it."_

_He slowly cups his hands, making them push yours away. "When this happens, the thin lining between realities 'leaks', and the events spill into the memory of those affected. It doesn't matter if they remember or not because the damage is done. This is the beginning of a corrupted reality." He drops his hands. "It starts slowly, beginning with a slight unease of monsters around your other selves that they can't explain. But it snowballs into an outright corruption of one's core self. That kind of terror will change a reality forever. You saw the original timeline, how peaceful it was. What you remember since falling down here this present timeline is what we have become."_

_You feel dizzy and search for a chair. Sans helps you sink slowly to the floor. "I-I'm sorry doesn't even begin to cover it." You manage after a few minutes of intense thinking._

_Sans smiles slowly. He pulls your chin up to make you look at him. "It's a start." He tells you._

****

"NO!" You scream awake.

"Sweet baby Geese!" Sans screams, rolling backwards.

"Motherfucker!" You yell again. You scream into your hands in frustration.

"Holy shit, bad dreams?" Sans asks. You glare at him. He shivers, his cheeks shadowing in that way that means he's blushing.

You ignore the lustful images that flash through your head. "No, I just saw a timeline that I was trying to fix..." You wrack your brain, rapping your knuckles on your head. "Shit! I was...there was... Corruption? Realities leaking...bulging?" Some insanely hot times on Alphy's control panel.

You groan and shake your head again. "There was a lab. That Sans showed me a lab behind the house. Uuuugh! There was so much information and I can't remember anything but the fucking!" You stop yourself with a gasp, clapping your hands over your mouth.

"The fucking wh....oh." Sans' blush deepens. He coughs awkwardly and looks away. "There was so much important stuff our other selves talked about." You shake your head. "That timeline was a one of a kind, I never died, you never died. Not once. We were working together to come up with a plan. And I woke up before it got there."

You run your hands over your face. "There were a few other timelines I saw. They were all where I..." You stop yourself again. Sans is looking at you curiously. "I um had fallen in love with you. I-I killed myself to reset and end that reality."

His eyes go black, the blush vanishes. "What?"

Your hands fall to your lap in defeat. "It seemed like I was doing it to try again, to do something good. I think I had reasoned that the only way to save you was for me to die, but I didn't have the resolve to do it on my own."

Sans stares back at you, his eyes still black.

"So I think I was giving you the truest reset I could. There were a few times that I gave up while fighting you and let my DETERMINATION deplete to such an extent that I couldn't return." Your eyes burn. "I either would end it when I thought you were becoming too kind to me, when I realized you would never love me like love should be, or I was so over-come with guilt that I couldn't face what I had done."

You wipe a few tears from your face and look back up at him. You scramble back in shock. He was inches from you, staring at you with those empty eyes. After a moment the two white pupils flicker into his sockets. He slumps forward into your lap and goes limp.

"I'm absolutely exhausted by this." He says. "I can't keep this up. I can't keep pretending you're Karrin. Every time I expect it to be her, it's you. I want to hate you. I want to kill you until time stops. I want to make you pay for every other time-line I've had to suffer through. But the truth is," He rolls a little to look up at you.

"Hate is exhausting. And though I still remember the torture, the abuse, the insanity like it's still happening... I look at you and I don't see Karrin. I see Frisk, a tired, sad shadow of the strong soul that stumbled into the underground and saved us all. I see the kind eyes that were my reprieve at the very end of some of my worst time-lines. The soft lips that pleaded with me to never forgive them because they didn't deserve it. The gentle hands that struggled to embrace me when you died in my arms."

You can't breathe, you fear any movement at all will break this moment and scatter it across the void.

"I see someone I love." He says weakly. "I feel the ripples across time lines you've created with your kindness." He wraps his arms around your waist. "So I'm ready to skip to the part where I forgive you and you let yourself love me too."

Your hand hesitates before gently touching his back. "Okay." You whisper just before he falls asleep. You look down at the sleeping skeleton and have a difficult time understanding the rush of emotions you feel. Your mouth is dry, your heart is pounding. You can't decide if you're relieved or guilt-ridden.

After a few awkward moments you sigh and lean against the wall, gently running your hand over his back.

"I have no idea what I'm doing." You whisper to yourself.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure I messed up something in my explanation of parallel universes. I was going off my memory of a weird science documentary I watched.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little short but the next chapter will be pretty lengthy.

"I need you to show me your lab." You tell Sans the moment he begins to wake.

He rubs his eye sockets. "Wh-what?" he yawns and sits up. Your legs are colder without him sleeping there. He'd been asleep for twelve hours straight. You don't think he's slept much this timeline.

You couldn't sleep, you struggled to remember as much as possible from your last memory-dream. It was all so important. You had to know what the other you and Sans were doing.

You had almost fallen asleep once but before your head hit your chest Sans' right eye had flashed red and opened. For a moment you had thought he was going to kill you but he quickly fell back to sleep like nothing had happened. It was enough to keep you awake and reach out to the other timelines in search of that one.

But you couldn't find it again.

"I need you to show me your lab, Sans." You repeat as he stretches. He looks at you with his red eye before blinking it back to white pupils. He's sluggish, trying to think through the sleep fog. "How do you know about that? I would never have shown you. That would've been the absolute worst knowledge for you to have."

"I told you, you showed me in my dream memory."

He looks away to think. "It would have been an extenuating circumstance. What led up to that?" He asks.

You open your mouth to answer but he shakes his head. "No, don't tell me. I believe you." This surprises you, it's the first time he's trusted you. He stands and you rush to get up too, packing your bag. Sans takes your hand and leads you out of the grey room, in a flash of black you're in Snowdin.

He lets go of your hand and you both walk to his house. You're disappointed when he shoves his hands into his coat, but you don't ask him to hold your hand again. You sincerely doubt he had anything romantic in mind when he said he loved you yesterday. And you don't blame him. It would be asking too much to try a normal relationship after all the corrupted timelines he still remembered. You were just grateful he seemed to be making progress at becoming a more stable monster.

"Its night, but Pap will want to see us. Seeing as how you ditched him at Undynes."

You chew your cheek. "I didn't think it would be...that. I just wanted to keep making my way to the castle. If I'd known, I don't think I could have kept going. So it's good he didn't tell me and I left like I did."

He glances at you. "I am sorry I upset him."

Sans smiles a little. "He's the only one in the Underground who can talk to the king without being overtaken. They've tried. He's got this inner light that can't be doused. That's how he got the Captain of the Royal Guard position. Even before you fixed him, that light was still there. It was angrier, and not as bright, but it was stronger."

You smile in wonder at this new revelation about Papyrus. "After all, you can damage a person's core-self, but its nearly impossible to destroy it."

"How did you manage to trap the king?" You ask.

Sans shrugs and doesn't reply. It's frustrating but you try to respect his willful silence. You push away your slight anger. "Thank you for helping me, you really didn't have to. I wouldn't have blamed you even a little." You say again.

Sans rolls his eyes and chuckles. "Jeeze, kid. How many times are you going to say that?" You're at the front porch of his house. "If I didn't want to save you, I wouldn't have." His tone slips into that icy place that you had almost forgotten. A shiver runs down your spine.

"Hey, ease up with that look. I wanted to save you." He adds cheerily as he opens the door. A part of you thinks he scared you to keep you from thanking him again. And it worked.

"Papy? You up?" Sans says as he steps inside. He doesn't raise his voice. You hear a door slam open in the dark followed by frantic footsteps.

"SAAAAAANS!" Papyrus yells, scooping you both into a hug off the floor. "HUMAN!" You can't breathe and your spine cracks from his grip.

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS VERY RELIEVED TO SEE YOU BOTH ALIVE!" He sets you both down. "You saw me an hour ago, bro." Sans flips the light switch and Papyrus pulls his brother into another hug. "NO MATTER! I WAS STILL WORRIED WHILE YOU RETRIEVED THE HUMAN! I AM ALSO VERY RELIEVED TO SEE YOUR EYES SANS!"

You smile at Sans' awkwardly enduring the hug, a shadow of a blush on his cheekbones. He wiggles an arm to halfheartedly pat his brother on the back. But as you stretch your aching spine you know he's actually quite happy that Papyrus still cares.

"Alright, bro, you can put me down now."

"NOT UNTIL YOU HUG BACK!" Papyrus demands.

You laugh, earning you a weird glance from Sans. He heaves an overly-dramatic sigh and wiggles his arms free from Papyrus' embrace to hug him.

Papyrus closes his eyes. "I have missed you, brother." Sans jumps at the soft words and hugs him tighter. "Y-yeah. Me too, bro."

You beam, your heart feels lighter than it had in months.

Pap sets Sans down and smiles happily at you. "I AM GLAD TO SEE YOU TOO GETTING ALONG LIKE FRIENDS!" He announces, hands dramatically on his hips.

Sans scratches the back of his skull and chuckles. "We need to go out back for a bit, Pap. But we'll be back."

Papyrus rolls his eyes. "ALRIGHT, BUT I WILL BE MAKING SPAGHETTI FOR WHEN YOU RETURN!" You and Sans turn to the door again. "YOU WILL RETURN, RIGHT?" Pap asks.

"Of course, bro. Might be an hour or so."

Papyrus nods, glancing at you. You feel guilty for leaving Undyne's without him. "I'm coming back too, Pap. I promise." Sans winces at the word 'promise'. But Papyrus beams. "EXCELLENT! DON'T LOSE TRACK OF TIME OR YOUR SPAGHETTI WILL GET COLD!"

**

You stand in front of the strange monitor you had seen from your dream-memory. Sans had explained again what the machine had done and what he had been researching with Dr. Gaster.

His words rang bells in your head but you couldn't quite remember everything from before so you were glad for the refresher.

You remembered Gaster's name this time.

You tentatively reach out to touch the monitor. Sans watches you curiously as you swipe, zoom and refresh the screens. This was definitely familiar. "We're green, right?" You ask. He nods. You glance sideways as he yawns wide.

You cough so you can hide your burning face when you see his four sets of canines, his one gold tooth glinting in the light. He has...fangs? Why was that so distracting? You didn't know he had any sharp teeth. His smile was always deceptively human. You wonder if there are other monster traits Sans has that you haven't noticed because you assumed he was like a human skeleton.

You cough convincingly enough that Sans looks worried. "Jeeze, bud. You okay?"

You clear your throat and nod. You shake your head and clear your throat again and make yourself focus on the screens. Sans makes a face that looks like he's raising an eyebrow.

"So if there were a timeline that hadn't had any branches, would that be easy to find?" You ask, thankful for your brain coming up with a damn good question.

He frowns. "There aren't any like that though. It would be obvious." He scooches you over and your stomach flips as he brushes your arm. You mentally chastise yourself. Stop it. There's more important things to focus on right now.

Sans glances strangely at you again before shrugging and returning to the screens. He taps on the monitors and searches through the lines. He was right, there aren't any timelines without branches after the point of divergence.

You chew your lip. "But in my dream it was a single line from the beginning to the end." He scratches his skull. "That is weird. But I definite..." his words fade out as the screen flickers.

"What was that?" You ask.

The screens go black. "What the fuck?" Sans frowns angrily and goes behind the machine. Something flickers on the screens. A face? You gasp when it flickers and stays this time. Its a mild looking face, its right eye looks closed and a gentle smile softens the cracks on its skin. "S-Sans..."

He leans around the machine in confusion and follows your gaze to the screens. His jaw drops and he gasps. "Shit! Doc?"

The screens ripple and symbols scroll across the screen as the face fades. Sans starts breathing heavy. "Sh-shit! Slow down I haven't talked to you in years!"

The symbols slow their pace. Sans leans closer to the screens as they flicker and static flashes every few seconds. "What do you mean?" He asks.

More symbols. Sans eyes dart wildly. "O-okay. But...won't that timeline collapse?"

Three symbols.

Sans exhales shakily. "That's bad."

The same three symbols.

"But they...figured something out, didn't they? You helped them?"

The same symbols again.

Sans runs his hands over his skull and glances at you fearfully. "Th-theres a way to see that timeline you dreamt about. But, it would mean ripping the Sans and Frisk from that timeline and fusing them with us." He licks his teeth anxiously. "And it could mean the corrupted timelines will know what they know. G-Gaster's sealed them in the void. He's protected their knowledge from the others, but they can't save the multiverse there because they need other monsters and if they reset to the beginning they'll lose their knowledge or most of it. They're doomed."

More symbols scroll across the screens. "He says he leaked the dream to you because he thinks we can fix this. He hasn't shown any other version of you or me."

Your mouth is dry. "What do we do?" you ask.

Sans shakes his head. "I-I don't know if we can risk this Doc." He says to the screen. There is a pause. "It's just...It's too similar to what happened to you. If we're the only ones who've gotten this far, we can't just...give the corrupted timelines this information. And if we fail that's the end. Of everything."

"Sans..." You say. He looks at you. You look at the screens. "Can it fix everything? Would it be wiped clean?"

Three symbols. "I'll assume that means yes." You say. Your heart is hammering. "I think we should try, Sans. This is what everyone deserves. A clean slate, a real reset."

You look at the screen. "Is there a way we could put in a fail safe for the final reset? Where it would keep me from becoming evil?"

Symbols scroll. "He says the best we could do is wipe it all away. There might be fragments of these timelines left in the new realities, but if we try to leave anything as a clue it could cascade into full remembrance."

Your fingers drum rapidly on the control panel. "Can you make..." You don't know why the words are so hard to say. Yes you do, you're a coward. "Can you make me disappear?" It would be the best possible scenario. No you, no evil.

Sans grabs your arm. "What are you talking about?" He demands. "You can't just ERASE yourself from time and space!"

"It wouldn't be like you would remember me, and then you could live happily with the other monsters. And I wouldn't be there to fuck anything up."

You see frantic typing. Sans growls at you but looks back the symbols. "He says that's impossible anyway. He was only scattered because of an accident and he is still existing."

"Can you make me a child?" You ask.

Sans looks at you like you've lost your mind.

Three symbols. Your throat is dry and your palms are sweating. "Okay. Lets do that. If I can try again as a child it will be easier to be good."

"Wait a goddamn minute!" Sans yells. There's frantic typing and the screen flickers. "You can hold on for one fucking second Gaster." Sans snaps. "What are you thinking? Are you insane?" He asks.

"I want to fix this!" You snap. "And if I can't be erased, I can change myself to be better, to make myself a better person who will do the right things!"

Sans blinks rapidly. "I haven't agreed to do this, regardless. And especially not if you're going to endanger yourself by making you even more vulnerable than you are now, at this age."

"If I die a million times to do the right thing, it will be worth it." You say quietly.

Sans shakes his head, he massages his forehead with the palm of his hand tightly closing his eyes. "That will damage you, the core you if you agree to that. You'll save us but it won't be right, you'll be broken." He punctuates a few words with his free hand and looks angrily up at you.

"But I'll have you to put me back together on the surface." You tell him. "You, Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne, Flowey and all the other monsters will be there to help me. I can do this."

His hand falls and he sighs as he closes his eyes. When he looks at you again, it looks like his eyebrows are creased together. "You're right. We'll be there to help you." He closes his eyes and shakes his head, sighing angrily. "But I guess there isn't really a choice, is there? Just fixing this timeline won't protect us forever." He laughs shortly at the screen and the creases are gone.

"Alright, alright, calm down doc." He says with a placating gesture of his hands. "Let's do this. What do we have to do?"

The screen flickers, rippling snow rolls across the monitor. The doctor's face appears again. He holds up his hands, he has holes in his palms. Weird. 

Five symbols  fill the screen behind him. You can't read it but your eyes are suddenly heavy and your body goes limp. You fall into Sans as you hit the floor and fall deeply asleep.

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the somewhat SFW version of this chapter. There's mention of "things" but nothing explicit, all that's left is dialogue, some references and lots of fluff. I didn't want to completely cut this chapter up because there's some cutesy interactions that I wanted to keep.
> 
> The next chapter will be unedited, so if you're not into that skip it.

This is the end, you realize. You'll never see this reality again. But sacrifices have to be made to fix all hurt you've caused. You owe that much to your brother, to your friends.

You look down at Karrin, trying to settle your nerves. "Ready?" you ask, holding her hands tightly. She smiles up at you and your stomach flips.

"I'm ready." She tells you.

You both embrace one last time and you watch the world disintegrate around you. Despite knowing this isn't really death, you can't help feeling scared. You hold Karrin tighter, she's buried her head into your shoulder.

You glance around the void and then you see him. Gaster. He stares at you and you nod. He closes his working eye and you feel it, like someone has gripped your soul in their hands. Karrin grips you tighter and it feels like you're going to explode.

You desperately hope this will work. You hope the void will leave no trace of this version of you and Karrin for any others to find. Gaster had helped so much. Everything would have been lost without him.

You can't breathe. Your throat has closed shut but you find that you don't have to breathe. There's a blip of black that steals your vision, your hearing, and all feeling.

You try not to panic. But you can't help it. You're formless, floating in the void without a single sense to comfort you. Your thoughts race.

Is Karrin okay? Will she survive in the fusion? Will you? What if the other versions find out what you know, what if you've made the biggest mistake of your life and you've just doomed all existence?

Will she still love you?

Very suddenly you gasp, feeling returns all at once. The white ceiling of your lab is the first thing you see. Your hands slap down on cold tile and something cool and smooth to the touch. You sit up and pant. Had it really worked?

You look down at your hands and you can't breathe.

You....have skin. Real skin. Human skin?! It's so scarred... This Karrin has been through hell. You turn with a gasp as you realize what's happened.

You see your own face staring down at his hands. "K-Karrin?" You ask. His eyes lift and you laugh in relief. "Sans? Did...did this work?"

You rush forward and embrace yourself, sitting in his lap. It's weird. You didn't know your skin was so cold and smooth. "It worked. Even if we're not in the right bodies."

"Maybe that was on purpose? To protect our memories from our other selves? It's not like Gaster can stay corporeal long enough to ramble about the intricascies of the multiverse and the void." You laugh at the face he's making, like he didn't expect that to come out of his mouth. "You should more more effort into talking. You're so eloquent." You smile and stroke his cheekbones. He smiles and reaches up to hold your hands.

"I know me, I just get tired of hearing myself talk after a while." You say. You close your eyes to get over the weirdness of kissing yourself. You feel this Karrin balk at the action.

When you pull back you look at yourself, there's a dark blush on his cheekbones and you laugh. "Whoops. I don't think this version of us is as intimate as we are." You chuckle, stroking his face again. It's still weird. But you know you're not kissing yourself, you're kissing Karrin.

He laughs too, that small giggle Karrin sometimes does when she's embarrassed. It sounds so bizarre in your own voice.

"We have to let go. But we'll have each other." You say, already feeling yourself sliding to the back burner of Karrin's brain.

He grips your hands tighter and smiles, lightly kissing your lips. "Always." He says.

You smile devilishly and decide to give these two a push in the right direction. Your last act in total control is to slide closer in his lap and shove him to the floor. The air leaves his lungs in a soft gasp. His eyes wide in surprise, arms flopped by his face, you feel this Karrin's heart race at the sight.

It happens in every timeline, sometimes at different times, but you two always fall for each other. Always. _He likes when you play rough_. You tell Karrin before you fade, imparting your memories in her mind.

**

You're blushing so hard you think your face might actually explode. Sans gulps nervously underneath you.

"Uh...what?" He says.

"He-he did this." You tell him, frozen in place.

"Y-yeah...that's something I would do." He replies.

Neither of you move. You're still trying to sort through the dizzying thoughts the other Sans had left you with. It was jumbled mess, an entire lifetime of knowledge dumped all at once.

"They seemed...happy." He says slowly. "She still went by Karrin."

"He forgave her." You add.

"You um...were they the ones who you couldn't stop thinking about them fucking?" Sans asks. You laugh, leaning back. He sits up, bracing his weight on his hands and chuckles too. "Yeah." You reply. Your face burns again when you realize you're sitting in Sans lap still.

You apologize and go to move but Sans holds you in place with his hands on your hips. He looks down at you and looks away. "Sorry." He lets go of your hips. Your heart is pounding in your throat. You can't stand it anymore.

You grab his face and kiss him. Feeling for yourself what his invisible skin is like. He grunts in surprise and pulls you close. His tongue slides into your mouth and you moan, surprising both of you enough that you break apart.

You laugh nervously at the desire in his eyes. He growls and pulls you close, kissing your neck before pushing you onto the cold floor of the lab. You're both breathing surprisingly hard for not even doing anything yet.

"Sh-should we go somewhere else?" Sans asks. "Pretty sure this floor is filthy."

You struggle to think straight. "We can't go upstairs, your brother's home."

"The inn?" He questions. A moment later there's a flash of black and you're in a room larger than the room you had when you last stayed at the inn. He's still crouching over you, but now there's carpet under you instead of cold tile. "I stayed here and kept low while you were fixing things." He explains at your confused face. "Its still mine for a few nights."

You reach up and pull his face to yours. You kiss him again, slower this time. You moan again when his tongue slides into your mouth. He makes a little sound and kisses you just a little more forcefully. You squeak and he pulls back. "Sorry...its um. It's been a while."

"Yeah, me too." You tell him.

He leans in again, aiming for your neck when you stop him. "I am filthy, Sans." He growls seductively, making you blush again. "I mean I'm really filthy. I haven't showered in over two months."

Sans nods. "Ah. I didn't even notice." He says, looking away embarrassed. You laugh. "How about I take a quick shower and you call your brother so he doesn't worry?"

"But then I'd have to let you up." He mock-whines. "And now that you're actually underneath me..." he closes his eyes a moment and shivers.

It takes more willpower than you'd like to admit to sit up. But you just can't let your first time with Sans be coated in months worth of grime and dirt. He actually pouts a little when you stand and walk to the bathroom. He flops petulantly on the floor and pulls out his phone. You laugh at him kindly.

You lock the door so he can't peek and take off your clothes to hop in the shower. You see yourself in the mirror and gasp. Your hair is wild, blood, mud, dirt and God knows what else is caked in it.

The water runs brown for twenty minutes before you get all the mess off of you. There's a gentle knock at the door as you run another tiny bottle of conditioner through your hair. "You almost done? I'm dying out here." Sans whines jokingly.

"How do you think I feel?" You call back.

He laughs and tries the door. "Aw...come on." You hear a light thud on the door followed by what sounds like Sans sliding to the floor. "I could just unlock it, but I'm going to wait." He says.

You laugh, wincing when you catch another knot in your hair. "Please?" He begs. The sound makes your knees wobble. You'd never had someone beg to see you naked before.

"J-just another minute." You tell him, biting your lip as you rinse the rest of the conditioner from your hair. You realize you haven't shaved your armpits or legs since you fell down here. But it didn't seem like many monsters had 'skin', and they didn't have the same beauty standard as humans. You convince yourself it will be fine and turn off the water.

You hear Sans shuffle away from the door. You towel yourself dry and smile at the reflection in the mirror. You look so much better. You don't want to put the clothes you've stank up with your grossness back on, but you don't have anything else to wear.

You cinch the towel tight and unlock the door. "Hey, I'm not wearing any clothes." You tell him. He makes a weird sound. "Oh no, that's the _worst_ possible thing right now." He huskily jokes. You laugh a little and open the door, cautiously stepping into the room.

Sans makes a face that looks like he's biting his lip as you slowly shuffle closer to the bed where he sits. "Okay...I'll admit the shower was a good idea." He says shakily. You chuckle, biting your lip. You fee like you're both going to have a pretty good time...

**

A few moments pass while you both catch your breath before Sans groans with the effort of moving to pull you close. You begin to recover and wrap your heavy arms around him, laughing at your shaking muscles. Sans' eye weakly flashes red and the blankets are pulled over you both before he kisses your forehead. "Hey, so..." he starts but fades out, not looking at you.

You blink up at him, struggling to stay awake. You can't remember the last time you felt this good. "I love you." He says looking back at you. You smile and lean close to kiss him. "I love you, too." He chuckles in relief and hugs you tighter. "And, just in case it wasn't clear, I forgive your other selves." He brushes the hair from your face. "I know you're not them. It just took me a while to believe it."

Your smile grows and you blink away tears. You press your lips to his again and he sighs. You both fall asleep in each others arms.

**

_"Sorry to intrude but, its going to be few and far between when I can talk to you like this and you need to keep some of my memories intact before I become just another part of you... You...go by, Frisk, right?" a gentle chuckle. "Frisk...I always liked that. Your other self, Karrin, she and I worked out how to fix the timelines, erasing all echoes and resetting everyone to the beginning. The timelines will diverge again, but...maybe there will be fewer bad ones. You're going to forget this, its the only way to keep the other timelines safe. But a piece of you will remember, and I pray that's enough."_

_A soft sigh._

_"You need to defeat the king, all of her souls need to be released but...and this is the hard part kid, you need to take them. YOU and only you should take them. We defeated the king long before we made peace and Karrin let the souls fade into the void. The Temmie mass will be...unpleasant, to say the least, to consume, but you must take them too. They need to be set free. With the power of all the souls combined you can bend time and space to your whims, not just this timeline, but all timelines in the multiverse."_

_Hushed, labored breathing._

_"You...you can decide what to do...from there, Frisk. You're...G-Gaster was..."_

_Coughing._

_"You aren't...Karrin...You...you're rea-really Frisk...He...pulled you...from...you n-never absorbed...Ch..."_

**

You groan and open your eyes. Your head pounds with echoing voices and flashing, blurry images. Sans nuzzles your neck and pulls you closer in his sleep before his soft snoring resumes.

You're forgetting something important, but it's okay?

You rub your eyes and adjust to get more comfortable. Sans' weirdly soft skin brushes yours as he nuzzles you again, waking to plant a little to kiss your neck. You smile and quickly fall back to sleep.

**

Small, soft bites on your shoulder wake you. You giggle and shut your eyes, pretending to be asleep. Sans chuckles near your ear, "You're a terrible actress." The love bites get a little rougher until you're panting, reaching back to grab Sans' head. He growls affectionately and runs his hands down your back.

"Ah-already?" You ask, you laugh in surprise when he pulls you closer suddenly.

" _Coming_ on too strong?" He jokes.

You laugh again, rolling over to look at him. He's smiling crookedly at you, propped up on one arm. "I'm just surprised."

"I'm not hearing a 'no'." He says huskily, his eyes narrowing. You chew on your bottom lip and try not to smile but fail. He kisses you and you close your eyes, wrapping your arms around him. Sans slowly crawls on top of you.

This time is caring and sweet, less fiery than last night, but it's incredible all the same. You feel invigorated, not exhausted when Sans collapses on top of you to catch his breath. You run your hands over his back and he sighs.

Sans laughs, "Hope you don't think I'm an addict." You snort. "Yeah right, Sans the sex addict. You're fine, in both senses of the word. It's nice. Never had morning sex before."

He looks at you. "Really? Actually, I haven't either."

"Now get up you lump, we should shower." Sans instantly goes limp and laughs when you try to push him off. You give up with a huff.

"I've accepted my fate. This is how I die. Naked under a lazy-bones-er." You say deadpan.

Sans laughs. "Pppppffffahahaha!!" You roll him off you and he keeps laughing. "That was terrible! I love it!" His laughter is contagious, you sit up and start laughing too. He lays back on the bed and sighs, looking at you. He smiles, touching your cheek. Your face feels warm at the look in his eyes.

You quickly kiss his hand and bounce off the bed to the bathroom. You hear the bed creak behind you. "Do I have to wait this time?" Sans asks. "NOOOOPE!" You call over your shoulder as you turn on the hot water.

You laugh at the excitement on Sans face when he bounds into the bathroom. You climb into the shower and he follows. Sans offers to wash your back but after a while he decides to give you a massage instead.

You feel absolutely spoiled.

"So, why didn't I see your soul this time?" You ask, enjoying the steaming water and Sans hands kneading your back. At the most intimate moment last night, you had held his soul in your hands. "That doesn't happen every time, it takes a little while to recover from that kind of magic."

"So..." you lose your train of thought when Sans works a knot on your spine, it makes your toes curl. "So is that why fighting is so hard on monsters, because it bares their souls?" You ask.

"Mmhm." He replies. You have a very hard time thinking straight. "It doesn't usually happen outside of a fight unless there's a pretty intense bond with someone." He continues, his knuckles working up your back.

"It doesn't happen to humans." You tell him.

"Really?"

You nod.

"Th-then how do humans have kids?" he asks.

You turn to look at him, equally confused. You both blink at each other for a long moment before you laugh nervously. "You should explain how touching souls during sex makes monster babies first."

Sans chuckles, looking at you like you've asked something obvious. His smile falters a little when he realizes you really want an explanation. "Oh, well um. When you uh..." He clears his throat and tries again. "When you connect like that it creates energy, and if you focus it, it creates a new soul."

"But you can't create or destroy energy." You say, surprising yourself at blurting the only piece of science knowledge you have.

Sans shrugs. "Call it magic then, that's a better word anyway. It creates a new soul and if its strong enough, it'll become a tiny monster in a few months."

You feel relieved. So there wasn't a monster baby potentially growing inside you. Not that that would be the worst thing in the world, but you had an entire universe to recreate and a baby would make this timeline impossible to leave behind.

"So how do humans make tiny humans?" Sans asks.

"You never looked at the internet?" You ask. He laughs. "I just assumed it was the same way as monsters. I mean we have interlocking bits and during fights with humans, their souls appear." He shrugs.

"Yeah, I assumed it was the same as humans." You admit. "So um. Females make eggs and males make sperm and when you have sex sometimes the sperm can find an egg and it fertilizes it. Then it sticks to the females insides and it will grow into a baby. After about nine months, the baby is healthy and big enough to survive outside the womb and the mom will give birth to it."

Sans doesn't know what to think about that. "So...it's not...How do you know if it works?"

You decide not to explain the mechanics of female anatomy and tell him the changes a woman goes through, the sickness, the growing belly and hormones.

"Huh. And only females will carry the baby?"

You nod. "What happens to the souls after they're made?"

"You take turns with your partner caring for it, you keep it close and the closeness makes it grow stronger. Then one day it will turn into a tiny monster when it's strong enough."

"Are all monster babies...on purpose?" He doesn't know what you mean. "Like, the parents all make a baby on purpose, they intend to make a baby monster."

"Oh! Yeah, for the most part. Sometimes a couple will think they know what they want and accidentally make a new soul, but decide not to care for it. But they don't go unloved, there's always room somewhere for a baby in the underground. Well..." He pauses, his smile faltering. "When things are like this that is. There were less babies when the King took over, and less people to take an unclaimed soul."

You don't like him this sad, you hug him. He laughs. "Sorry, I got a little down. I didn't mean to." He adds, returning the embrace. "Everyone does sometimes, it's okay. I like monster baby creation much more than human baby creation."

Sans looks down at you like you're not making sense. "It's so much more deliberate." He frowns a little in agreement. "I like the human version. I mean, you'd have to really care about someone to keep trying with something like that." You nod a little, not wanting to burst his bubble.

The first trickles of cold water begin to run over your skin. "We should probably shower at some point, the hot water's almost gone." You say. Sans shrugs "I don't have hair." He kisses you before you awkwardly turn and wash your hair.

"But don't you at least use like, soap?"

"Well, yeah. But i just don't take as long."

You rinse and trade places, hugging to shuffle past each other in the tight space. It's silly and you love it.

You return the back-rub favor and Sans practically melts. You laugh, digging your fingers into his shoulder blades. His head rolls forward. "That is unbelievably unfair." He says, swaying with your kneading motions. You rub his back until your hands cramp up, then lean close and kiss the back of his neck.

Sans sighs and shakes himself. "I could get used to this." He mutters over his shoulder with a smile.

You wrap your arms around him and he leans into you. "Me too."

**

You borrow a set of Sans' clothes and he lends you his coat to go back to his house. No bra and freezing temperatures wouldn't bode well for you. Papyrus is a little grumpy when you two return. It's past noon now. He reheats spaghetti in a flustered hurry, scolding you both for losing track of time after he specifically told you not to.

You can't help but laugh to yourself at the expression on Sans' face, something between embarrassment, affection and maybe a little bit of pride? He squeezes your knee under the table with a wink and you snuggle deeper into the coat, trying to hide your smile.

Papyrus sets hot plates of spaghetti in front of you both. It smells amazing. And you're famished. Papyrus beams and Sans stares as you try and fail not to shovel heaping forkfuls in your mouth. "HUMAN! YOU HAVE QUITE THE APPETITE TODAY!" He says with a proud smile.

Sans snorts, coughing on a mouthful of noodles.

Papyrus' face falls in realization, finally putting the events together. "OH. WELL. THAT IS." Papyrus sets his fork down and frowns. "YOU BOTH SEEM IN MUCH BETTER SPIRITS YOU'LL NEED THAT FOR THE REST OF THE JOURNEY! I UM APPROVE?" Papyrus blushes a soft orange, attempting to eat again.

Sans can't breathe from laughing so hard. Though your face burns, you laugh too. Pap smiles at his brother laughing with his head on the table before turning to smile at you. He pats your hand gently. The sight of the two brothers so happy and at ease fills you with DETERMINATION.

 

****

 

You take some of the gold you've gathered and find the small seamstress' shop on the far side of Snowdin. Sans had halfheartedly offered to go with you but couldn't hide his relief when you said you'd rather go alone. You knew he'd be happier at home bonding with his bro over video-games and terrible jokes.

The shop is run by several sweet sheep-monsters. They were the easiest to return to their core selves, you didn't interact with them much in other timelines. They have an assortment of clothing for sale all of it hand-made.

You ask one with glasses quietly about getting new underwear and a bra since you don't see them on any of the sales racks. She smiles warmly at you and asks if you know your measurements. When you shake your head she gestures for you to follow her and she leads you to a spacious room cut-off from the main store with a heavy curtain. "I'm Helena, by the way."

You smile. "Nice to see you again, Helena." It's also nice to know her name, you realized you didn't ask many of the monsters their names when you were restoring Snowdin. You hang Sans' coat on a hook near the curtain and she asks you to lift your arms while she quickly measures your bust, waist, hips and the length of your torso. "Do you need some new clothes also?"

"I'd like some jeans and a couple t-shirts."

She chuckles warmly. "How about a nice dress? Sans sure has taken a liking to you. Its so nice to finally see him happy. I bet he would just die if I made you a nice...hm...I think trumpet would flatter your figure best."

Your cheeks burn. "I-I don't really wear dresses."

She laughs kindly. "Oh, I know dear, but..." She sighs. "How about a nice night-gown then?" Her eyebrows wiggle a little and you laugh, certain your entire face is red. "Sorry, sweetheart, I don't mean to embarrass you. I just get a lot of requests for racy items."

"N-no, I wouldn't mind a nightgown."

She giggles. "Alright! What colors do you like?"

"Blue, black and white?" you answer, trying for the easiest colors you can think of.

She nods. "Okay, give me about an hour and you can swing by to pick up your things."

You grab Sans' coat. "Only an hour?"

"There's five of us, sweetness. We really love our job."

*

You spend an hour wandering in the snow, stopping to help the arm-less monster kid win a snowball fight. You aren't sure how he managed to fling snowballs with his tail, but he was pretty good at it.

By the time you make it back to the seamstress shop, it's nearly night. The younger sheep are giggling excitedly when you return. You tuck yourself deeper into the coat in anticipation of whatever they've made for you.

The oldest sheep, the one who measured you, shushes the others. She has everything in a nice green box. "Thank you." You say, pulling out your wallet. "Not a problem, dear. 500, please." You frown at her, you had food that had cost more than that. "That's less than I expected." She shrugs with a smile. "Think of it as a thank you for helping everyone." She says, taking the 700 gold you give her with an even broader smile.

Helena leans close before handing the box over. "And I'm sure Sans will be happy too."

You blush furiously and hurry back to the skeleton brothers home.

Sans is reading to Papyrus when you quickly skip up the stairs. Pap is already asleep but Sans always finishes the story. You wonder, not for the first time, when or if Sans will return to his "real" self as you open his bedroom door. The other monsters still have some lingering awareness of what had happened that made them more fearful and angrier before you helped them find their real selves.

You think it's strange that his attitude has changed but not his appearance. It's a little unsettling sometimes when his actions don't match his care-free demeanor. You'll catch him watching you intensely and then laugh it off when you ask what's wrong. Maybe he isn't ready to accept that things are different now?

You shake yourself from your thoughts and set the box on the bed. Sans' room has lost the haggard stripes and is now a solid pale purple. You don't really like the color, but it's better than the black and red stripes from before.

You start unpacking the ribbon tied box and are happy with the new jeans. Boot-cut, straight leg. They may not be the most flattering on your figure, you've never bothered to check, but they're always dependable. There's a few new t-shirts, a little bigger than you need but that's how you like them. Room to move is better than constantly tugging at the hem of your shirt.

The bra is nice, comfortable, like a t-shirt bra. You've never had one fitted to you before, but it's something you'll have to do from now on. You wince at that thought, not sure if you'll have enough time left to think about new underwear. You laugh at the panties packed into the box. Lacey, silky things. They look nice, nicer than you've worn, and you used to splurge a little on cute panties. You're glad you tipped the sheep, they deserved more.

At the bottom of the box is the night-gown that the motherly sheep Helena had suggested. You nervously pull it out of the box and gasp. It's a pale blue slip covered in a layer of tulle that's black and white polka-dots. You giggle and hold it to your chest. It falls to your mid-thigh. The hem is trimmed with pale blue lace.

"So, how did shopping go?" Sans asks, opening the door.

You chew your bottom lip and turn, folding the night-gown over one arm so he can't see it very well. "It went swimmingly." You tell him. He frowns a little at your word choice. You re-pack the box and set it on his dresser before bouncing to the bathroom, leaving him standing very confused by his bed.

*

You smile at your reflection in the mirror and twirl just for the hell of it. The cups of the gown are push-up and you kind of feel like your boobs are going to just pop out unexpectedly, but the effect is worth it. You take a deep breath to steady your nerves and feel silly. Sans has seen you naked more than once now, but it's still a little too new to be casual. And you definitely haven't dressed up for him yet.

You open the door to the bedroom and lean out. You sigh, your shoulders falling when you see Sans has already fallen asleep. He didn't even bother to get under the covers, he just flopped back and passed-out. Though you're a little disappointed that you can't show off the new (kind of sexy) night gown, you aren't mad at Sans. He sleeps often but never for long, probably to make up for the odd hours he keeps patrolling with Pap and researching in his lab.

His intelligence is sometimes startling. He doesn't always go into detail about what he's doing if you wander down to check on him in the lab, but when he does it baffles you. Its not that you expected him to be an idiot, its just so surprising when you catch glimpses of how smart he really is because he hides it so effectively and you don't know why.

You chuckle and turn out the bathroom light. The sudden wash of black makes your heart pound and you quickly turn it back on, your free hand held tightly to your stomach. You're frozen for a long moment before you can make yourself move again. "Nope, no dark yet." You whisper to yourself, pulling the bathroom door almost closed so there isn't as much light to disturb Sans' sleep. But there's enough to still see into the bedroom.

Speaking of Sans... you're going to have to wake him to get into bed yourself. He's fallen back in the middle of the bed, his legs hanging over the side and one arm thrown back over his head. He's snoring a little with his mouth open. You smile at his weirdly attractive fangs and give him a little nudge in the shoulder.

He mumbles something and rolls over weakly. "Sans, you have to move, sweetheart." You tell him, shaking his shoulder. He sits straight up, one hand grabs your wrist pulling you close and the other reaches for your throat. His eye flashes red. You're so surprised you don't know how to react.

He blinks and his eyes are white again. "Shit, you scared me." He releases your wrist and gently strokes your cheek. "S-sorry." You stutter, your fear catching up with you. You'll remember to never be that close when you wake him up again.

Sans frowns. "No, I just... No one wakes me up. Pap always knocks and I'm still not used to hearing that voice and knowing it's you." He pulls you into a tight hug. You hug him back. Yeah, there was still a lot of healing to do before Sans was ready to return to his real self.

"I-is this lace?" Sans asks, pulling back to look at you. He sees the night-gown for the first time and his gaze travels from your legs to your neck very slowly. You haven't completely recovered from the scare but you turn away to hide your smile regardless. You glance back at him, he looks stunned.

You laugh a little and stand, doing a small twirl. You stop, the hem takes a few seconds to fall.

Sans shakes himself after staring silently for a long moment. "That's it. I'm done. I can't compete with this." He gestures at you and then flops back on the bed. You laugh. "Who said it was a competition?" You ask.

"I did, and I lost."

You laugh again and he slightly lifts his head to smile at you before falling back again. "You're gorgeous when you laugh, and the lacy thing certainly helps." You feel yourself blushing.

"Oh no, a genuine compliment!" You slowly walk closer and carefully crawl into his lap. "I don't think I can recover from that, it's my one weakness!" You add before you over-dramatically clutch your chest and collapse on top of him.

"Ooof!" Sans exhales hard from the impact before laughing. It's a loud and genuine laugh, you've been hearing more of those lately and it filled you with DETERMINATION, and hope that maybe he could return to normal someday.

"I love you." He says, hugging you and lightly kissing your forehead. You lift your chin, resting it on his chest to look up at him. "I love you too. And it's not a competition." He rolls his eyes. "It's not! I just um got kind of talked into getting something nice. I didn't even think I would like it, let alone you." You shrug a little. "But I only wore it because I knew you'd probably like it. So," you boop his invisible nose and his eyes cross. "not a competition. Just a surprise."

Sans gives a throaty chuckle, it makes your heart skip faster. "I definitely like your idea of a surprise." You giggle, and nuzzle into his neck to hide your blush.

*

You blink slowly, glancing over at Sans when you muster the energy and manage a breathless laugh. He looks drunk, a dazed look in his eyes, a dark blush covers his cheek-bones and a shit-eating grin is plastered on his face.

"You look...awful...proud." You tell him, feeling sweat drip down your face. You notice he's sweating pretty badly himself. He blinks and turns to look at you, his expression softens a little. "That was fucking incredible." He breathes. You shiver. "That even...shit that even topped the one from earlier."

You laugh. "It was pretty fantastic. I can't move yet."

Sans laughs too, closing his eyes and sighing. He yawns and you stare at his fangs again. "I don't know how you don't break my skin with those." You tell him. He smiles at you, licking his teeth. You shiver again, amazed that you can feel anything remotely close to arousal at this point. Sans laughs again. "You're going to fuck me into the grave, kiddo."

You laugh again. "I can't help it! But I'm honestly good, you got me and I'm good." He pulls you close, your body still feels heavy with the afterglow. "Good. 'Cause I need to recover." He adds, wrapping his arms around you. He reaches behind him and throws the blanket over you both. You smile and snuggle closer to him, not caring about the sweat covering you two.

He smiles and shakily brushes hair from your face. He winces a little at the marks on your neck. "You're going to be pissed when you see those tomorrow. Does it hurt?" He asks. You shake your head weakly. "Nah. It was pretty damn sexy." You tell him, his smile returns.

"I bruised your wrists, so I guess we're even." You add.

He shrugs a little in agreement. "Papy's gonna scold us." He adds with a throaty chuckle. You gasp. "He's still asleep, right?" Sans laughs and kisses you, wincing as his sore muscles move. "He sleeps like a damn rock, don't worry." He winces again. "Jeeze, I think you scratched my back." He says with a laugh.

You grimace. "Sorry. You were just that good." You boop his invisible nose. He chuckles as his eyes cross. "You keep calling me 'kiddo', how old are you?" You ask, remembering suddenly all the times he's called you 'kid'.

He frowns at the question. "Uh...is that really important?" You laugh at his awkward expression. "I'm just curious."

He coughs unconvincingly, looking away. "Oh jeeze, are you like, really old?" You tease. You gasp mockingly. "Are you actually younger than me? The scandal."

Sans snorts. "No, I'm just-it's kind of weird to me when I think about it sometimes." You re-adjust on the pillow, waiting patiently for his answer. "I'm 27." You laugh loud. "That's not that bad. I'm 20." You pause, frowning in thought. "Actually, I might be 21." You add, realizing you could have missed a birthday while down here.

"Yeah, that's almost ten years difference." He isn't looking at you. "Don't monsters live longer than humans anyway?" You ask. "Yeah, but monsters mature a little differently. I mean the queen is well over a hundred. But she's not even an 'adult' by boss monster standards. Pap's 19, he's still got a ways to go as far as being an adult, heh. He was like a giant kid even when he was his other self. I think Undyne's 30? She doesn't talk about her age much. Grillby's like...old. He remembers what the surface looks like."

You snuggle closer to Sans and he smiles down at you. "So when are monsters considered 'adults'?" You ask. Sans shrugs, rubbing your arm with his thumb. "We all get our adult bodies around 12, give or take a year or two. After that it's just figuring out who you are, just growing-up mentally. Some of us take a while, some of us are grown before we're grown."

You chuckle a little at that. "Humans are legally adults at 18, no ifs, ands, or buts. Everyone kind of matures mentally at their own pace, sounds like how monsters are too. Some of us don't stop physically maturing until we're in our twenties." Sans is tense. You look up at him and his eyebrows are creased in worry, his eyes are black. "Oh shit! That sounds bad! I'm an adult, Sans! You don't have to worry about that. A young adult, but still an adult."

He clasps a hand to his chest and sighs heavily. "Yeah, that sounded really bad."

You laugh nervously. "My um body hasn't changed in about five or six years, so I'm assuming I'm done growing. Guys uh, males I mean, will sometimes keep growing taller or more muscular in their twenties. And sometimes females will lose the rest of their baby-fat or stuff like that."

Sans flops back on the pillow. "I told you I can't handle more surprises. I was genuinely terrified you were still a child for a moment."

You lean forward (wincing as muscles protest) and kiss him a few times, enjoying each time more than the last. "Not a child, don't worry." He yawns again and pulls you close, tucking your head under his chin. "Good. Tonight was too good to ruin."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is the unedited chapter. I've never posted something that was NSFW before and I'd appreciate any feedback if something sounds wonky or unrealistic. Pretty sure my face is never going to stop being red either. But this was fun to write. Hehe. 
> 
> There's some mild, consensual bondage in this chapter.
> 
> *Also wow, I apologize for the length. I didn't realize it was THAT much more text without the smexy times.

This is the end, you realize. You'll never see this reality again. But sacrifices have to be made to fix all hurt you've caused. You owe that much to your brother, to your friends.

You look down at Karrin, trying to settle your nerves. "Ready?" you ask, holding her hands tightly. She smiles up at you and your stomach flips.

"I'm ready." She tells you.

You both embrace one last time and you watch the world disintegrate around you. Despite knowing this isn't really death, you can't help feeling scared. You hold Karrin tighter, she's buried her head into your shoulder.

You glance around the void and then you see him. Gaster. He stares at you and you nod. He closes his working eye and you feel it, like someone has gripped your soul in their hands. Karrin grips you tighter and it feels like you're going to explode.

You desperately hope this will work. You hope the void will leave no trace of this version of you and Karrin for any others to find. Gaster had helped so much. Everything would have been lost without him.

You can't breathe. Your throat has closed shut but you find that you don't have to breathe. There's a blip of black that steals your vision, your hearing, and all feeling.

You try not to panic. But you can't help it. You're formless, floating in the void without a single sense to comfort you. Your thoughts race.

Is Karrin okay? Will she survive in the fusion? Will you? What if the other versions find out what you know, what if you've made the biggest mistake of your life and you've just doomed all existence?

Will she still love you?

Very suddenly you gasp, feeling returns all at once. The white ceiling of your lab is the first thing you see. Your hands slap down on cold tile and something cool and smooth to the touch. You sit up and pant. Had it really worked?

You look down at your hands and you can't breathe.

You....have skin. Real skin. Human skin?! It's so scarred... This Karrin has been through hell. You turn with a gasp as you realize what's happened.

You see your own face staring down at his hands. "K-Karrin?" You ask. His eyes lift and you laugh in relief. "Sans? Did...did this work?"

You rush forward and embrace yourself, sitting in his lap. It's weird. You didn't know your skin was so cold and smooth. "It worked. Even if we're not in the right bodies."

"Maybe that was on purpose? To protect our memories from our other selves? It's not like Gaster can stay corporeal long enough to ramble about the intricacies of the multiverse and the void." You laugh at the face he's making, like he didn't expect that to come out of his mouth. "You should more more effort into talking. You're so eloquent." You smile and stroke his cheekbones. He smiles and reaches up to hold your hands.

"I know me, I just get tired of hearing myself talk after a while." You say. You close your eyes to get over the weirdness of kissing yourself. You feel this Karrin balk at the action.

When you pull back you look at yourself, there's a dark blush on his cheekbones and you laugh. "Whoops. I don't think this version of us is as intimate as we are." You chuckle, stroking his face again. It's still weird. But you know you're not kissing yourself, you're kissing Karrin.

He laughs too, that small giggle Karrin sometimes does when she's embarrassed. It sounds so bizarre in your own voice.

"We have to let go. But we'll have each other." You say, already feeling yourself sliding to the back burner of Karrin's brain.

He grips your hands tighter and smiles, lightly kissing your lips. "Always." He says.

You smile devilishly and decide to give these two a push in the right direction. Your last act in total control is to slide closer in his lap and shove him to the floor. The air leaves his lungs in a soft gasp. His eyes wide in surprise, arms flopped by his face, you feel this Karrin's heart race at the sight.

It happens in every timeline, sometimes at different times, but you two always fall for each other. Always. _He likes when you play rough_. You tell Karrin before you fade, imparting your memories in her mind.

**

 

You're blushing so hard you think your face might actually explode. Sans gulps nervously underneath you.

"Uh...what?" He says.

"He-he did this." You tell him, frozen in place.

"Y-yeah...that's something I would do." He replies.

Neither of you move. You're still trying to sort through the dizzying thoughts the other Sans had left you with. It was jumbled mess, an entire lifetime of knowledge dumped all at once.

"They seemed...happy." He says slowly. "She still went by Karrin."

"He forgave her." You add.

"You um...were they the ones who you couldn't stop thinking about them fucking?" Sans asks. You laugh, leaning back. He sits up and chuckles too. "Yeah." You reply. Your face burns again when you realize you're sitting in Sans lap still.

You apologize and go to move but Sans' holds you in place with his hands on your hips. He looks down at you and looks away. "Sorry." He lets go of your hips. Your heart is pounding in your throat. You can't stand it anymore.

You grab his face and kiss him. Feeling for yourself what his invisible skin is like. He grunts in surprise and pulls you close. His tongue slides into your mouth and you moan, surprising both of you enough that you break apart.

You laugh nervously at the desire in his eyes. He growls and pulls you close, kissing your neck before pushing you onto the cold floor of the lab. You're both breathing surprisingly hard for not even doing anything yet.

"Sh-should we go somewhere else?" Sans asks. "Pretty sure this floor is filthy."

You struggle to think straight. "We can't go upstairs, your brother's home."

"The inn?" He questions. A moment later there's a flash of black and you're in a room larger than the room you had when you last stayed at the inn. He's still crouching over you, but now there's carpet under you instead of cold tile. "I stayed here and kept low while you were fixing things." He explains at your confused face. "Its still mine for a few nights."

You reach up and pull his face to yours. You kiss him again, slower this time. You moan again when his tongue slides into your mouth. He makes a little sound and kisses you just a little more forcefully. You squeak and he pulls back. "Sorry...its um. It's been a while."

"Yeah, me too." You tell him.

He leans in again, aiming for your neck when you stop him. "I am filthy, Sans." He growls seductively, making you blush again. "I mean I'm really filthy. I haven't showered in over two months."

Sans nods. "Ah. I didn't even notice." He says, looking away embarrassed. You laugh. "How about I take a quick shower and you call your brother so he doesn't worry?"

"But then I'd have to let you up." He mock-whines. "And now that you're actually underneath me..." he closes his eyes a moment and shivers.

It takes more willpower than you'd like to admit to sit up. But you just can't let your first time with Sans be coated in months worth of grime and dirt. He actually pouts a little when you stand and walk to the bathroom. He flops petulantly on the floor and pulls out his phone. You laugh at him kindly.

You lock the door so he can't peek and take off your clothes to hop in the shower. You see yourself in the mirror and gasp. Your hair is wild, blood, mud, dirt and God knows what else is caked in it.

The water runs brown for twenty minutes before you get all the mess off of you. There's a gentle knock at the door as you run another tiny bottle of conditioner through your hair. "You almost done? I'm dying out here." Sans whines jokingly.

"How do you think I feel?" You call back.

He laughs and tries the door. "Aw...come on." You hear a light thud on the door followed by what sounds like Sans sliding to the floor. "I could just unlock it, but I'm going to wait." He says.

You laugh, wincing when you catch another knot in your hair. "Please?" He begs. The sound makes your knees wobble. You'd never had someone beg to see you naked before.

"J-just another minute." You tell him, biting your lip as you rinse the rest of the conditioner from your hair. You realize you haven't shaved your armpits or legs since you fell down here. But it didn't seem like many monsters had 'skin', most seemed to have fur or scales or in the case of Sans and Pap, invisible skin. And they didn't have the same beauty standard as humans, they all seemed to be comfortable in their bodies as far as you could tell. You convince yourself it will be fine and turn off the water.

You hear Sans shuffle away from the door. You towel yourself dry and smile at the reflection in the mirror. You look so much better. You don't want to put the clothes you've stank up with your grossness back on, but you don't have anything else to wear.

You cinch the towel tight and unlock the door. "Hey, I'm not wearing any clothes." You tell him. He makes a weird sound. "Oh no, that's the worst possible thing right now." He huskily jokes. You laugh a little and open the door, cautiously stepping into the room.

Sans makes a face that looks like he's biting his lip as you slowly shuffle closer to the bed where he sits. "Okay...I'll admit the shower was a good idea." He says shakily. You make sure your towel is secure and you slid his coat off his shoulders. When he frowns you tell him, "I'm way under-dressed compared to you, so start stripping."

He laughs and goes to pull his shirt over his head, you grab the hem, trapping his arms with his face covered and shove his arms to the bed. He gasps in surprise. "So not fair." He says as you run your free hand over his chest. You can feel his skin, cool and smooth. It's interesting to see your hand seeming to hover a few centimeters over his visible bones.

His breathing quickens, hitches as your hand drifts over his stomach and lower. He's lost more weight and it's a little concerning. But you ignore that for now. You lean close and kiss above his hip bone. He squirms. "Nnngh..."

You lick his skin in the little crease between his hip and thigh. You can feel his body tense. You release his shirt and sit on your knees, running your fingers under the waistband of his shorts. He sits up to take his shirt off and stares down at you as you slide his shorts lower. His hands grip the edge of the bed.

"I'm torn." He says, you stop confused. "I want to fuck you senseless, but I really don't want you to stop."

You laugh mischievously. "Why not both?" You ask as you slide your hand into his shorts. He gasps when you close your hand around his bone-hard member. You're surprised when he pulls his pants down to reveal it's not invisible, but a light shade of red. You can almost see your hand through it.

Sans catches his breath before you lean forward and slowly lick the tip into your mouth. He shudders, his hands gripping your hair as you begin to bob, your hand stroking what your mouth can't reach. "Oh God..." he whimpers. Your breath hitches.

"O-okay...wai-wait." He stammers. His broken voice only encourages you. You look up in time to see his head snap back as he moans. "I-I...oh God! You're goinngh!" He grits his teeth as you keep going. You pull back and use your hands to coax him to the brink. He pants hard as you feel him getting closer.

"Cum for me Sans." You whisper. That does it. He stiffens and grips the edge of the mattress crying out as he twitches in your hands.

He falls back on the bed when you release him. You laugh, wiping cum off your shoulder. Its a pale red color. Sans is breathing hard laying spread-eagle. You lean against the bed and watch him. "Holy shit." He whispers after a while. You chuckle smugly.

"Oh you...you live it up while you can." He says, pointing at you without looking. "But I'm going to get you back for that one." His hand falls hard to the bed. "As soon as I recover. God, that was hot." He turns to look at you, his eyes still dazed the way only sex can do to people. A deep blush shadows his cheekbones. "You're fucking hot." he tells you.

You smile, looking away and back at him.

There's a flash of black and suddenly you're on the bed with Sans crouching over you. "And I'm going to make you scream my name as pay back." You whimper at the gravelly tone. He smirks and gently turns your head to kiss your neck. His tongue slides over your skin and you squeak, it devolves into a moan as he licks the crook of your neck. He gently bites down and you squirm, encouraging him to bite a little harder. You pant, trying to wait to really lose it.

"Doesn't take much for you, does it?" He breathes against your ear, sending goosebumps across your skin. He chuckles before biting down again, coaxing a hickey onto your neck. You catch your breath just before his hands travel to your towel. The terrycloth has started to irritate your skin.

You watch with bated breath as he very slowly untucks the towel and pulls it open like a book. He makes that motion again that looks like he's biting his lip, his fangs are visible. A little further down his body you can see he's hard again. He chuckles at your expression. "I've still got to catch up before we get that far." He says.

He snaps his fingers and the towel is gone, no longer irritating your skin. He leans to the left, lying beside you. "Now..." He slowly runs his hand across your breasts. Your eyes roll back and close at the touch. You gasp when you feel his cool tongue against your left nipple while his other hand massages the right.

He looks up at you, cracking a little smile as his teeth rake your skin. Your back arches, surprising you both. Sans laughs lustfully, his hands tracing down your rib-cage. When you look back at him he's crouched between your thighs.

"Eep!" You close your legs and he laughs again. "Aw, come on. You're supposed to be the one begging by this point, not me."

You laugh too. "I guess you'll just have to make me, won't you?" You tease. Sans' smile broadens, his eyes narrow seductively. He slowly licks his teeth and you shiver. "I'll make you eat those words before I eat you."

You laugh and he cuts it short by shoving your legs down to bite your hip. You moan as his tongue darts, and his teeth rake your skin again. You're breathing hard when he pauses. "Ready to beg yet?" He asks. You giggle and shake your head. "Alright." He switches to your other hip and does the same thing, biting harder and growling when your legs twitch. His hands run up and down your thighs as he kisses a little lower, slowly encouraging your legs to spread.

"Now?" He asks. You can't make words and he takes it as a no. He licks the crease between your thigh and your crotch agonizingly slow, his hands casually brush over your mound. Not enough to really touch anything but enough to make your skin tingle. You try to move your hips so he'll touch something on accident but he pulls back with a laugh, holding your hips down with a little growl.

"Sneaky. But you know the deal." He's rubbing his thumbs just millimeters away from your clit, keeping you in place. He chuckles smugly. "Still holding out?" You look at him, your chest is heaving. He leans closer until his shaft rests on your clit. You whimper when he begins to rock back and forth. "Come on," his breathing is a little strained. "just..."

You look at him. He smiles and licks his teeth again. You shiver. He pulls away and begins to lick your skin again, you can't take it anymore. "O-okay, yes. Please." You blurt out.

"Hm, that didn't sound like you really wanted it." He says, his fingers tracing the wet skin at your entrance. You whimper, gripping the sheets. "P-please, Sans?" You ask as he begins to trace the folds of skin. "Please, what?" He purrs, thoroughly enjoying himself. "Please, I-I need you to fuck me."

Sans stops and you manage to catch your breath, looking at him. He smiles at you. "Well, since you asked nicely." He sticks his tongue out and licks from your entrance to your clit. "Oooooh my God!"

He moans before continuing, his slick tongue tracing circles around you. You reach back and grip the pillows as sounds just start pouring from your lips, you can't stop yourself. He sinks his fingers into you and your back arches when he strokes that sensitive spot. Its so intense you can't think straight. You can feel yourself quickly building to a climax and your body tenses. Sans braces himself on one arm, leaning over you as you slowly grow silent.

"Oh...nnngh...I'm gonna-! Oh, S-SANS! FUCK!" You scream as you fall over the edge. He makes unintelligible sounds, his hand faltering for a second. Your hips rock as your muscles spasm.

You fall back against the bed, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. You feel like you're on a cloud. You can't move your head but you watch Sans sit up with your eyes. That blush has returned as he wipes his face. "Holy fuck." He whispers, he's struggling to catch his breath.

"I-I..." He reaches out, crawling on top of you. He kisses your cheeks and you giggle. "Are you up for...? If not that's okay too."

You shiver. If just his fingers felt that good... "Yes." You tell him, gripping his shoulders. "I want you to fuck me senseless." He closes his eyes a moment and makes a small sound. You lift your leaden legs to make it a little easier and he gingerly guides himself in.

You groan at the feeling of him pressed against your skin. Sans gasps, his eye flashes red for just a moment. He blinks it away and braces himself on his elbows over you. He smiles before he leans in and licks your neck, gently thrusting. You're making small contented sounds as you rock back and forth.

Sans pulls back to look at you, his face is flushed a pale red. "God you're sexy." You say before you can stop yourself. He chuckles, a little embarrassed. "Certainly easy to look at yourself." He manages after a moment.

You see something glowing out of the corner of your eye. He stills when you carefully push him back, slowly sitting up under the gentle urging of your hand. A glowing red heart pulses on top of his sternum. He watches you closely as you curiously tilt your head.

_Touch it...be careful, it's fragile..._ A voice echoes in your mind.

You gently slide your fingers closer to the small heart. Sans' eyes roll back when you trace your fingers over it, he sways over you when you tenderly press against it. "Is this...your soul?" You ask, carefully curling it into your palm. Sans babbles pleasantly, nodding earnestly with his eyes closed.

_Look down..._ That voice echoes again. You see the same heart glowing against your own chest when you look down. Your eyes widen and you freeze.

What the fuck...?

Sans has recovered some motor skills. He grips your wrists. "Pl-please, don't stop." he begs. You love the look on his face, so full of need. You bite your lip and slowly caress the red heart. He groans, his hands digging into your wrists.

His hips start working again, you struggle to concentrate on the fragile thing in your hands but Sans' grip keeps you steady. A gentle jolt of energy from your fingertips to your chest makes you jump in surprise. Sans moans, curling forward. "Ah...!"

His hands release your wrists and he leans over you again. You let go of the soul, afraid you'll damage it. Sans pants with his mouth open, struggling to catch his breath. You see an opportunity and take it.

You shove him onto his back earning you a very surprised then very sexy expression. You slowly grind your hips, sitting up straight. You shiver at the feeling of him inside you at this angle. "Y-you just do-don't nnngh p-play fair." His hands grab your hips and encourage you to move faster. He bites his bottom lip and groans. "Sh-shit."

You smile and touch his soul again, catching him off guard. His eyes go wide when that same jolt of energy runs straight to your chest. You cry out when the feeling of him inside you becomes more intense. You have to brace your shaking body over his as your hips struggle to work him in and out.

Sans moans, reaching a trembling hand to your chest. You know when he touches your soul because it feels like your world explodes in a wash of ecstasy. The orgasm rocks you both. Sans screams your name, his voice cracking. You throw your head back in a wordless scream. It feels like you've left your body, the pure pleasure is almost too much to hold.

After what feels like a blissful eternity you slump to the bed and take deep, ragged breaths. "That was..."

"Yeah." Sans agrees.

A few moments pass before Sans groans with the effort of moving to pull you close. You begin to recover and wrap your heavy arms around him, laughing at your shaking muscles. Sans' eye weakly flashes red and the blankets are pulled over you both before he kisses your forehead. "Hey, so..." he starts but fades out, not looking at you.

You blink up at him, struggling to stay awake. You can't remember the last time you felt this good. "I love you." He says looking back at you. You smile and lean close to kiss him. "I love you, too." He chuckles in relief and hugs you tighter. "And, just in case it wasn't clear, I forgive your other selves." He brushes the hair from your face. "I know you're not them. It just took me a while to believe it."

Your smile grows and you blink away tears. You press your lips to his again and he sighs. You both fall asleep in each others arms.

**

_"Sorry to intrude but, its going to be few and far between when I can talk to you like this and you need to keep some of my memories intact before I become just another part of you... You...go by, Frisk, right?" a gentle chuckle. "Frisk...I like that. Your other self, Karrin, she and I worked out how to fix the timelines, erasing all echoes and resetting everyone to the beginning. The timelines will diverge again, but...maybe there will be fewer bad ones. You're going to forget this, its the only way to keep the other timelines safe. But a piece of you will remember, and I pray that's enough."_

_A soft sigh._

_"You need to defeat the king, all of her souls need to be released but...and this is the hard part kid, you need to take them. YOU and only you should take them. We defeated the king long before we made peace and Karrin let the souls fade into the void. The Temmie mass will be...unpleasant, to say the least, to consume, but you must take them too. They need to be set free. With the power of all the souls combined you can bend time and space to your whims, not just this timeline, but all timelines in the multiverse."_

_Hushed, labored breathing._

_"You...you can decide what to do...from there, Frisk. You're...G-Gaster was..."_

_Coughing._

_"You aren't...Karrin...You...you're rea-really Frisk...He...pulled you...from...you n-never absorbed...Ch..."_

**

You groan and open your eyes. Your head pounds with the echoing voices. Sans nuzzles your neck and pulls you closer in his sleep before his soft snoring resumes.

You're forgetting something important, but it's okay?

You rub your eyes and adjust to get more comfortable. Sans' weirdly soft skin brushes yours as he nuzzles you again, waking a little to kiss your neck. You smile and quickly fall back to sleep.

**

Small, soft bites on your shoulder wake you. You giggle and shut your eyes, pretending to be asleep. Sans chuckles near your ear, "You're a terrible actress." The love bites get a little rougher until you're panting, reaching back to grab Sans' head. He growls affectionately and runs his hands down your back.

"Ah-already?" You ask, you laugh in surprise when you feel his morning wood press into your lower back.

"Coming on too strong?" He jokes.

You laugh again, rolling over to look at him. He's smiling crookedly at you, propped up on one arm. "I'm just surprised."

"I'm not hearing a 'no'." He says huskily, his eyes narrowing. You chew on your bottom lip and try not to smile but fail. He kisses you and you close your eyes, wrapping your arms around him. Sans slowly crawls on top of you.

The sex is caring and sweet, less fiery than last night, but it's incredible all the same. You feel invigorated, not exhausted when Sans collapses on top of you to catch his breath. You run your hands over his back and he sighs.

Sans laughs, "Hope you don't think I'm an addict." You snort. "Yeah right, Sans the sex addict. You're fine, in both senses of the word. It's nice. Never had morning sex before."

He looks at you. "Really? Actually, I haven't either."

"Now get up you lump, we should shower." Sans instantly goes limp and laughs when you try to push him off. You give up with a huff.

"I've accepted my fate. This is how I die. Naked under a lazy-bones-er." You say deadpan.

Sans laughs. "Pppppffffahahaha!!" You roll him off you and he keeps laughing. "That was terrible! I love it!" His laughter is contagious, you sit up and start laughing too. He lays back on the bed and sighs, looking at you. He smiles, touching your face. Your face feels warm at the look in his eyes.

You quickly kiss his hand and bounce off the bed to the bathroom. You hear the bed creak behind you. "Do I have to wait this time?" Sans asks. "NOOOOPE!" You call over your shoulder as you turn on the hot water.

You laugh at the excitement on Sans face when he bounds into the bathroom. You climb into the shower and he follows. Sans offers to wash your back but after a while he decides to give you a massage instead.

You feel absolutely spoiled.

"So, why didn't I see your soul this time?" You ask, enjoying the steaming water and Sans hands kneading your back. "That doesn't happen every time, it takes a little while to recover from that kind of magic."

"So..." you lose your train of thought when Sans works a knot on your spine, it makes your toes curl. "So is that why fighting is so hard on monsters, because it bares their souls?" You ask.

"Mmhm." He replies. You have a very hard time thinking straight. "It doesn't usually happen outside of a fight unless there's a pretty intense bond with someone." He continues, his knuckles working up your back.

"It doesn't happen to humans." You tell him.

"Really?"

You nod.

"Th-then how do humans have kids?" he asks.

You turn to look at him, equally confused. You both blink at each other for a long moment before you laugh nervously. "You should explain how touching souls during sex makes monster babies first."

Sans chuckles, looking at you like you've asked something obvious. His smile falters a little when he realizes you really want an explanation. "Oh, well um. When you uh..." He clears his throat and tries again. "When you connect like that it creates energy, and if you focus it, it creates a new soul."

"But you can't create or destroy energy." You say, surprising yourself at blurting the only piece of science knowledge you have.

Sans shrugs. "Call it magic then, that's a better word anyway. It creates a new soul and if its strong enough, it'll become a monster in a few months."

You feel relieved. So there wasn't a monster baby potentially growing inside you. Not that that would be the worst thing in the world, but you had an entire universe to recreate and a baby would make this timeline impossible to leave behind.

"So how do humans make tiny humans?" Sans asks.

"You never looked at the internet?" You ask. He laughs. "I just assumed it was the same way as monsters. I mean we have interlocking bits and during fights with humans, their souls appear." He shrugs.

"Yeah, I assumed it was the same as humans." You admit. "So um. Females make eggs and males make sperm and when you have sex sometimes the sperm can find an egg and it fertilizes it. Then it sticks to the females insides and it will grow into a baby. After about nine months, the baby is healthy and big enough to survive outside the womb and the mom will give birth to it."

Sans doesn't know what to think about that. "So...it's not...How do you know if it works?"

You decide not to explain the mechanics of female anatomy and tell him the changes a woman goes through, the sickness, the growing belly and hormones.

"Huh. And only females will carry the baby?"

You nod. "What happens to the souls after they're made?"

"You take turns with your partner caring for it, you keep it close and the closeness makes it grow stronger. Then one day it will turn into a tiny monster when it's strong enough."

"Are all monster babies...on purpose?" He doesn't know what you mean. "Like, the parents all make a baby on purpose, they intend to make a baby monster."

"Oh! Yeah, for the most part. Sometimes a couple will think they know what they want and accidentally make a new soul, but decide not to care for it. But they don't go unloved, there's always room somewhere for a baby in the underground. Well..." He pauses, his smile faltering. "When things are like this that is. There were less babies when the King took over, and less people to take an unclaimed soul."

You don't like him this sad, you hug him. He laughs. "Sorry, I got a little down. I didn't mean to." He adds, returning the embrace. "Everyone does sometimes, it's okay. I like monster baby creation much more than human baby creation."

Sans looks down at you like you're not making sense. "It's so much more deliberate." He frowns a little in agreement. "I like the human version. I mean, you'd have to really care about someone to keep trying with something like that." You nod a little, not wanting to burst his bubble.

The first trickles of cold water begin to run over your skin. "We should probably shower at some point, the hot water's almost gone." You say. Sans shrugs "I don't have hair." He kisses you before you awkwardly turn and wash your hair.

"But don't you at least use like, soap?"

"Well, yeah. But i just don't take as long."

You make him turn around when you soap up, a little embarrassed to let him see you wash between your legs. He rolls his eyes but complies. "I've licked you, and you're embarrassed?"

You bite your lip to stop a sound crawling up your throat. "Yeah, but, I'm just...it's weird." Sans laughs. You rinse and trade places, hugging to shuffle past each other in the tight space. It's silly and you love it.

You return the back-rub favor and Sans practically melts. You laugh, digging your fingers into his shoulder blades. His head rolls forward. "That is unbelievably unfair." He says, swaying with your kneading motions. You rub his back until your hands cramp up, then lean close and kiss the back of his neck.

Sans sighs and shakes himself. "I could get used to this." He mutters over his shoulder with a smile.

You wrap your arms around him and he leans into you. "Me too."

You borrow a set of Sans' clothes and he lends you his coat to go back to his house. No bra and freezing temperatures wouldn't bode well for you. Papyrus is a little grumpy when you two return. It's past noon now. He reheats spaghetti in a flustered hurry, scolding you both for losing track of time after he specifically told you not to.

You can't help but laugh to yourself at the expression on Sans' face, something between embarrassment, affection and maybe a little bit of pride? He squeezes your knee under the table with a wink and you snuggle deeper into the coat, trying to hide your smile.

Papyrus sets hot plates of spaghetti in front of you both. It smells amazing. And you're famished. Papyrus beams and Sans stares as you try and fail not to shovel forkfuls in your mouth. "HUMAN! YOU HAVE QUITE THE APPETITE TODAY!" He says with a proud smile.

Sans snorts, coughing on a mouthful of noodles.

Papyrus' face falls in realization, finally putting the events together. "OH. WEll. THAT IS." Papyrus sets his fork down and frowns. "YOU BOTH SEEM IN MUCH BETTER SPIRITS YOU'LL NEED THAT FOR THE REST OF THE JOURNEY! I UM APPROVE?" Papyrus blushes a soft orange, attempting to eat again.

Sans can't breathe from laughing so hard. Though your face burns, you laugh too. Pap smiles at his brother laughing with his head on the table before turning to smile at you. He pats your hand gently. The sight of the two brothers so happy and at ease fills you with DETERMINATION.

****

You take some of the gold you've gathered and find the small seamstress' shop on the far side of Snowdin. Sans had halfheartedly offered to go with you but couldn't hide his relief when you said you'd rather go alone. You knew he'd be happier at home bonding with his bro over video-games and terrible jokes.

The shop is run by several sweet sheep-monsters. They were the easiest to return to their core selves, you didn't interact with them much in other timelines. They have an assortment of clothing for sale all of it hand-made.

You ask one with glasses quietly about getting new underwear and a bra since you don't see them on any of the sales racks. She smiles warmly at you and asks if you know your measurements. When you shake your head she gestures for you to follow her and she leads you to a spacious room cut-off from the main store with a heavy curtain. "I'm Helena, by the way."

You smile. "Nice to see you again, Helena." It's also nice to know her name, you realized you didn't ask many of the monsters their names when you were restoring Snowdin. You hang Sans' coat on a hook near the curtain and she asks you to lift your arms while she quickly measures your bust, waist, hips and the length of your torso. "Do you need some new clothes also?"

"I'd like some jeans and a couple t-shirts."

She chuckles warmly. "How about a nice dress? Sans sure has taken a liking to you. Its so nice to finally see him happy. I bet he would just die if I made you a nice...hm...I think trumpet would flatter your figure best."

Your cheeks burn. "I-I don't really wear dresses."

She laughs kindly. "Oh, I know dear, but..." She sighs. "How about a nice night-gown then?" Her eyebrows wiggle a little and you laugh, certain your entire face is red. "Sorry, sweetheart, I don't mean to embarrass you. I just get a lot of requests for racy items."

"N-no, I wouldn't mind a nightgown."

She giggles. "Alright! What colors do you like?"

"Blue, black and white?" you answer, trying for the easiest colors you can think of.

She nods. "Okay, give me about an hour and you can swing by to pick up your things."

You grab Sans' coat. "Only an hour?"

"There's five of us, sweetness. We really love our job."

*

You spend an hour wandering in the snow, stopping to help the arm-less monster kid win a snowball fight. You aren't sure how he managed to fling snowballs with his tail, but he was pretty good at it.

By the time you make it back to the seamstress shop, it's nearly night. The younger sheep are giggling excitedly when you return. You tuck yourself deeper into the coat in anticipation of whatever they've made for you.

The oldest sheep, the one who measured you, shushes the others. She has everything in a nice green box. "Thank you." You say, pulling out your wallet. "Not a problem, dear. 500, please." You frown at her, you had food that had cost more than that. "That's less than I expected." She shrugs with a smile. "Think of it as a thank you for helping everyone." She says, taking the 700 gold you give her with an even broader smile.

Helena leans close before handing the box over. "And I'm sure Sans will be happy too."

You blush furiously and hurry back to the skeleton brothers home.

Sans is reading to Papyrus when you quickly skip up the stairs. Pap is already asleep but Sans always finishes the story. You wonder, not for the first time, when or if Sans will return to his "real" self as you open his bedroom door. The other monsters still have some lingering awareness of what had happened that made them more fearful and angrier before you helped them find their real selves.

You think it's strange that his attitude has changed but not his appearance. It's a little unsettling sometimes when his actions don't match his care-free demeanor. You'll catch him watching you intensely and then laugh it off when you ask what's wrong. Maybe he isn't ready to accept that things are different now?

You shake yourself from your thoughts and set the box on the bed. Sans' room has lost the haggard stripes and is now a solid pale purple. You don't really like the color, but it's better than the black and red stripes from before.

You start unpacking the ribbon tied box and are happy with the new jeans. Boot-cut, straight leg. They may not be the most flattering on your figure, you've never bothered to check, but they're always dependable. There's a few new t-shirts, a little bigger than you need but that's how you like them. Room to move is better than constantly tugging at the hem of your shirt.

The bra is nice, comfortable, like a t-shirt bra. You've never had one fitted to you before, but it's something you'll have to do from now on. You wince at that thought, not sure if you'll have enough time left to think about new underwear. You laugh at the panties packed into the box. Lacey, silky things. They look nice, nicer than you've worn, and you used to splurge a little on cute panties. You're glad you tipped the sheep, they deserved more.

At the bottom of the box is the night-gown that the motherly sheep Helena had suggested. You nervously pull it out of the box and gasp. It's a pale blue slip covered in a layer of tulle that's black and white polka-dots. You giggle and hold it to your chest. It falls to your mid-thigh. The hem is trimmed with pale blue lace.

"So, how did shopping go?" Sans asks, opening the door.

You chew your bottom lip and turn, folding the night-gown over one arm so he can't see it very well. "It went swimmingly." You tell him. He frowns a little at your word choice. You re-pack the box and set it on his dresser before bouncing to the bathroom, leaving him standing very confused by his bed.

*

You smile at your reflection in the mirror and twirl just for the hell of it. The cups of the gown are push-up and you kind of feel like your boobs are going to just pop out unexpectedly, but the effect is worth it. You take a deep breath to steady your nerves and feel silly. Sans has seen you naked more than once now, but it's still a little too new to be casual. And you definitely haven't dressed up for him yet.

You open the door to the bedroom and lean out. You sigh, your shoulders falling when you see Sans has already fallen asleep. He didn't even bother to get under the covers, he just flopped back and passed-out. Though you're a little disappointed that you can't show off the new (kind of sexy) night gown, you aren't mad at Sans. He sleeps often but never for long, probably to make up for the odd hours he keeps patrolling with Pap and researching in his lab.

His intelligence is sometimes startling. He doesn't always go into detail about what he's doing if you wander down to check on him in the lab, but when he does it baffles you. Its not that you expected him to be an idiot, its just so surprising when you catch glimpses of how smart he really is because he hides it so effectively and you don't know why.

You chuckle and turn out the bathroom light. The sudden wash of black makes your heart pound and you quickly turn it back on, your free hand held tightly to your stomach. You're frozen for a long moment before you can make yourself move again. "Nope, no dark yet." You whisper to yourself, pulling the bathroom door almost closed so there isn't as much light to disturb Sans' sleep. But there's enough to still see into the bedroom.

Speaking of Sans... you're going to have to wake him to get into bed yourself. He's fallen back in the middle of the bed, his legs hanging over the side and one arm thrown back over his head. He's snoring a little with his mouth open. You smile at his weirdly attractive fangs and give him a little nudge in the shoulder.

He mumbles something and rolls over weakly. "Sans, you have to move, sweetheart." You tell him, shaking his shoulder. He sits straight up, one hand grabs your wrist pulling you close and the other reaches for your throat. His eye flashes red. You're so surprised you don't know how to react.

He blinks and his eyes are white again. "Shit, you scared me." He releases your wrist and gently strokes your cheek. "S-sorry." You stutter, your fear catching up with you. You'll remember to never be that close when you wake him up again.

Sans frowns. "No, I just... No one wakes me up. Pap always knocks and I'm still not used to hearing that voice and knowing it's you." He pulls you into a tight hug. You hug him back. Yeah, there was still a lot of healing to do before Sans was ready to return to his real self.

"I-is this lace?" Sans asks, pulling back to look at you. He sees the night-gown for the first time and his gaze travels from your legs to your neck very slowly. You haven't completely recovered from the scare but you turn away to hide your smile regardless. You glance back at him, he looks stunned.

You laugh a little and stand, doing a small twirl. You stop, the hem takes a few seconds to fall.

Sans shakes himself after staring silently for a long moment. "That's it. I'm done. I can't compete with this." He gestures at you and then flops back on the bed. You laugh. "Who said it was a competition?" You ask.

"I did, and I lost."

You laugh again and he slightly lifts his head to smile at you before falling back again. "You're gorgeous when you laugh, and the lacy thing certainly helps." You feel yourself blushing.

"Oh no, a genuine compliment!" You slowly walk closer and carefully crawl into his lap. "I don't think I can recover from that, it's my one weakness!" You add before you over-dramatically clutch your chest and collapse on top of him.

"Ooof!" Sans exhales hard from the impact before laughing. It's a loud and genuine laugh, you've been hearing more of those lately and it filled you with DETERMINATION, and hope that maybe he could return to normal someday.

"I love you." He says, hugging you and lightly kissing your forehead. You lift your chin, resting it on his chest to look up at him. "I love you too. And it's not a competition." He rolls his eyes. "It's not! I just um got kind of talked into getting something nice. I didn't even think I would like it, let alone you." You shrug a little. "But I only wore it because I knew you'd probably like it. So," you boop his invisible nose and his eyes cross. "not a competition. Just a surprise."

Sans gives a throaty chuckle, it makes your heart skip faster. "I definitely like your idea of a surprise." You giggle, your breath hitches when you feel his hands brush over your thighs and slowly slide under the hem of the nightgown.

He bites his bottom lip, trying to hide a smile before he says, "Not um wearing anything else, are you?" He playfully smacks your ass and you laugh. "Uh huh, sure you weren't expecting me to like it." He adds sarcastically, his voice sounds a little huskier.

You bury your face into his neck, laughing. "Aw, come on it's pretty haaaa!" You bite the crook of his neck and he's too surprised to keep talking. Your tongue darts before you rake your teeth over his skin and he shudders. "H-hey, we can't be t-too loud. Nnnnngh! Pap just went to sle-sleep." He tries to whisper, but you're having too much fun discovering all the sensitive places from his ear lobe to his clavicle.

"Then I guess you'll have to keep yourself quiet." You breathe against his jaw. He shivers and tries to shift his weight. You grab his wrists, pinning them over his head with a satisfied smile. It's a little rougher than you intended. "Whoa." he breathes. You chuckle proudly when you feel him quickly grow hard in your lap, a pale red blush shadows his cheekbones.

"I-" You press a finger against his lips. "Shh." His fists clench and a new expression crosses his face. "Oh, so you like when I tell you what to do?" You purr, leaning close to him. He closes his eyes for a second. "This is w-" You press your finger against his lips again. "Just nod or shake your head." You add, your voice has a dark sultry tone.

Sans' hips move against you, it seems involuntary, and he nods. His eyes are filled with need. "Very good." You're feeling a strange confidence having this kind of hold over Sans. He seems to enjoy having his arms pinned. "Do you...want me to tie you up?" You try to keep up the confidence, but you're a little uncertain about asking. Is that too weird? It seems too weird.

Sans slowly nods. You bit your bottom lip. "Mmm." This is kind of exciting. You glance around the room for something. You don't want something too abrasive or rough. Ooh! The ribbon. "Heh, stay." You tell Sans as you stand up and bounce across the room to the dresser.

The dark green ribbon looks more than long enough to tie up Sans hands, which was really all you had in mind. You're not feeling that adventurous...

You glance back at Sans on the bed where he waits with bated breath, he hasn't moved. You trot back across the room and show him the ribbon. "Is this okay?" He smiles, looking away for a moment and nods.

"Good. Now um scoot up against the headboard." Sans quickly moves, eager to listen. "Your shoes." You make a face before he kicks himself up higher on the bed. He slides them off, throwing them across the room and then lays with his head against the bed frame.

"Hm, sit up." You tell him. He sits up and you slowly crawl back into his lap. You drape the ribbon around your neck and pull the hem of his shirt up, slowly pulling it over his head. "Can I blindfold you?" You ask. He laughs a little and nods. He closes his eyes and you makeshift a blindfold from his shirt by tying it gently around his head.

"I'm going to tie your hands to the bed, tell me if its too tight, okay?" Sans nods again. You pin his wrists above his head overlapping each other and feed the ribbon around the wood board to secure him there. He's breathing a little faster. "You okay?" You ask before tying the bow. He nods and opens his mouth to speak but stops himself.

You giggle, realizing you never told him he could talk again. "What is it? You listen well."

"It could be um...tighter?"

"Hm, really now?" You chuckle.

"Please?" he asks, licking his lips. Your heart beats a little faster as you pull the ribbon tighter. You stop when he inhales sharply. "Too much?" He shakes his head. "Don't let me cut off circulation." You joke, tying the knot in a bow you can quickly undo. Sans nods earnestly.

You lean back with your hands in your lap and take in the sight of him. Its strangely sweet. "You're so cute." You say, tracing the shadowy mark you left on his neck earlier. He shivers, his fists clenching again. You let your hands wander across his chest and down his stomach, just barely brushing his skin. He's trembling after a few minutes. You're surprised at the amount of patience you have for this. Usually you'd be beside yourself wanting to make him moan and cry out. But this is strangely more satisfying.

You shift your weight, leaning forward to kiss the other side of his neck and he practically melts when you breathe against his skin. You smile and pause before getting closer. He's turned his head the other way, exposing as much of his neck as he can and breathing hard in anticipation. You bite your cheek to stay quiet and lean back again, careful not to touch him this time.

Sans groans, his body slumping in disappointment.

"Something wrong?" You ask, unable to keep the smile from your voice. Sans laughs breathlessly, looking at you without seeing you. "You're enjoying this more than I thought you would."

"Doesn't sound like a bad thing." You tell him, sliding your fingers across his skin just over the elastic of his boxers. He gasps, his body tensing at the touch. You can easily make out the outline of his rock-hard member under the fabric. "I-it's not. I-I ju-just...." His words fade and his head tilts back against the headboard when you lift your hand from his stomach.

He has to catch his breath before he can speak again. "Holy shit, you're almost too much for me." This makes your face burn with a shy pride. You really are enjoying yourself, maybe you should...throw him a bone? You giggle at your own joke. "If it's too much, I can stop."

"No!" His head snaps up and you laugh at his embarrassed surprise at the outburst. "This is just all new to me and it's really intense." New to him? So this hadn't happened before? How interesting. He wouldn't have any idea what you were going to do next.

"So, you don't want me to stop?" You ask, leaning over him again. You let your hips brush his, you can feel your most sensitive parts barely touch. Sans makes a strangled sound, trying not to be too loud. "God no, please don't stop." Your toes curl and you shiver at his lustful tone.

"Heh, I felt that." He turns to breathe against your ear. You squeak and take him down a notch by licking the crook of his neck before biting down on his unmarked skin. "Nnnaah!" He squirms pleasantly as you try to coax a hickey to bloom.

"H-harder." he pants. Your eyes widen and you hesitate for a moment in surprise. "Please." He begs, misinterpreting your pause as more teasing. You feel a bit like a vampire now, but you nuzzle a little higher and bite down harder. Sans moans, pulling against the ribbon tying him, his body bowing up against yours.

You're feeling pretty hot and bothered yourself when you pull back and look at him. He relaxes against the headboard, a small sheen of sweat on his skin.

You decide he's had enough teasing...for now anyway. You slide back on the bed and he whimpers. You're surprised when he doesn't seem embarrassed by the sound. "Wow, that really got you going, huh?"

He slowly nods, still breathing hard. You're tempted to take the shirt off his eyes, but you want him to be in the dark for the rest of this. You slide further back and sit between his legs. You run your hands over his thighs, watching his face as his head rolls back and he concentrates on keeping his voice down.

You very slowly tug down on the waist of his shorts, pulling them down to his knees. You carefully pull back the elastic of his boxers, making sure you don't catch his bits on accident. His hands have clenched tight again. You decide to go for broke and see what kind of reaction you'll get. In a smooth motion you lean over him and quickly slide as much of him as you can in your mouth, rolling your tongue over the tip. He's always a little colder than you expect.

Sans cries out unintelligibly, his body tenses and his hips buck. You manage not to gag when he hits the back of your throat. "S-sorry. I-" You cut him off by bobbing your head and working what can't fit in your mouth with your hand. You look up and see him slowly losing it, he can't help it. Your pride swells when you can tell he's getting close.

You stop just before he falls over that edge and he groans, curling forward and trembling. You slowly work him with just your hand, your spit makes it easier to stroke. He's so hard... You laugh quietly, it's really distracting. All you can think about is how wonderful he would feel inside you right now.

Before you lose your resolve you slide him back in your mouth and he cries out again. You laugh and he makes a strange sound. You hope Papy is as heavy of a sleeper as Sans is, otherwise you'll have one awkward morning. It doesn't take as long to get him to the edge this time and you stop, looking up at him with him still in your mouth.

Sans shudders hard almost whining as he tries to catch his breath. After a moment he tries to shift his hips. You sit up and release him. He groans, his head rolling back to hit the headboard.

"Let me do the work, you be still." You tell him. He shivers, biting his bottom lip as he nods. "If you move, I'll stop." He nods again. You consider making him beg for it but decide to wait for that. "Are you going to be good?" You ask.

"Yes." He answers without hesitation.

You lean in and slowly lick from the base of his pale red shaft to the soft tip. The sound he makes is like nothing you can describe, a long low moan that leaves you shaking. He's waiting impatiently still while you recover. You sigh unsteadily and start working him with your mouth again. His muscles are trembling, you can feel his orgasm building again. You look up at him and he's trying his hardest to hold back. The sight melts your heart and you moan. He jumps at the sensation, he seems to be having a difficult time staying quiet.

"C-can I?" He asks tentatively.

"Mmhhm." You say with your mouth full, nodding too as your hand pumps faster. Sans curls forward before his back arches. His hips buck and your eyes water as you struggle not to gag, he's too far gone to notice and you want to watch him enjoy every second of it. "Oh God, ah, Frisk!" You moan at hearing your name, its so incredibly hot when he says it like that. "F-FUCK!" He screams and you feel him hit the back of your throat. You choke down your gag reflex and let him ride out the long-delayed orgasm.

When he falls breathlessly to the bed you sit up and cough, wiping your eyes. You're pretty sure you swallowed his cum but you think it went straight down your throat, which you find strangely amusing.

Sans is still breathing hard when you crawl forward and sit beside him. You pull the t-shirt from his face and he blinks drunkenly up at you, breathing hard with his mouth open. You still wonder what it is about his fangs that you find attractive. You realize you didn't kiss him during any of that and you lean in to fix that. You lightly peck his tired face and he smiles up at you.

You pull the end of the ribbon and untangle his wrists. They fall limply to the bed. You frown at the shadows over his bones. He had bruised. "You were supposed to tell me if it was uncomfortable." You scold him. He weakly shrugs. "It wasn't."

You laugh. Why was that hot?

Sans groans as he kicks off his shorts, pulling up his boxers. "I didn't mean to...I hope that wasn't gross." He says haltingly, a little of his embarrassment catching up. You shake your head. "Nah, I didn't even taste anything." He shivers.

"So much for it not being a competition." He adds. "I have never cum like that before, look." He holds out his hands and his arms tremble with the effort. You chuckle and nuzzle against his chest. "I just like to surprise you."

"Shit, I don't think I can take more surprises right now." He says heavily, leaning on top of you. He kisses your forehead. "I'm going to have to make this up to you." He adds with a growl. You whimper before you can stop yourself, it feels like something has tugged behind your belly button. You frown in mild confusion. That was new...and...nice?

"Heh. You're all worked up, aren't you?" He asks against your ear. You actually moan, a loud open-mouth moan and grip his arm. "Wow...I guess I am?" You reply, why else would you be so sensitive? Sans was sexy, but this was ridiculous.

Sans growls, nuzzling against your neck. You melt against him and your eyes roll back. "Hm, you keep making those sounds and I'll get you back sooner than I expected." You moan again and laugh. "What's funny?" he asks.

"I can't believe how sensitive I am right now. This ridicullhhaaa!" Sans pulls the same card you played earlier and bites you in the middle of a sentence, only he gently bites your breast through the nightgown instead of your neck.

His eyes are half-lidded when he looks back at you with a smile. Slowly he reaches up and slides the straps off your shoulders, kissing across your collar bone. His knees nudge your thighs apart and his hands run down your torso. He sits up and looks down at you, chewing his bottom lip as he toys with the hem of the night gown. "Hm...I really like this on you, but I like what's underneath more." He purrs.

You laugh, looking away.

"I'm also kind of curious about something." He adds, leaning over you. Your eyes widen for a moment. "What's that?" You ask quietly. "Well, I wonder if you'd enjoy being blindfolded as much as I did?"

Your stomach flips and your heart flutters wildly. What a weird reaction. "I-I wouldn't mind trying it." You reply. His smile widens until you can see his canines. Sans reaches for the green ribbon and you close your eyes. You can't help but laugh nervously as he carefully wraps the wide ribbon around your head.

"Is that okay?" he asks. You nod. It's a strange exhilaration that floods your veins. "It isn't too tight?" You shake your head. "No, it's fine. It's um...kind of...hotter than I expected?" You chuckle a little. Sans laughs too.

You feel his hands slowly trail down your thighs, catching the edge of the nightgown. He bunches it gently in his grip and you start breathing faster when his hands reach your breasts. You sit up to help him pull the gown over your head.

He kisses you when you lift your arms up. Its a pleasant surprise. You smile against his skin and make a small, surprised sound when his tongue parts your lips. Sans chuckles and gently bites your bottom lip, pulling you closer when you give a little moan.

You blindly touch his face and for moment you think you know what he would look like if his skin weren't invisible. He pulls your hands away and trails kisses from your neck down your stomach. He barely has to touch you to push you on your back so he can reach your hips. You fall back, your skin is tingling from his touch.

He plants kisses on your thighs, his hands massaging your hip bones. You start breathing harder, knowing what will come next. You.

You laugh at your bad joke.

"What's so funny?" Sans asks slowly. You laugh again. "I know what's coming next."

He laughs too, "Oh?"

"ME!" You sputter. You think you hear Sans' hand slap over his face, but he laughs again. You let your hands fall by your face and catch your breath. "Well, you're not wrong." He adds, running his hands over your thighs again. "Hm," he pauses and you feel his fingers trace a spot on your neck. You jump a little, not expecting his hand so high.

"I left a mark last time."

"What?" You ask, suddenly mortified. All the people you saw today, Helena, did they see the hickey on your neck? Sans chuckles at your reaction. "Its barely noticeable." He adds when you prop yourself up on your elbows. His fingers trace beneath your earlobe, just under your jaw. "I doubt anyone could see it under your hair. I didn't see it until just now."

His hand is gone and you feel the bed depress on either side of your face. "I kind of like it." You gasp, his lips brushing your ear. "Almost like I'm marking you as mine." You giggle at his warm tone. He takes your breath away when he bites your neck. Reflexively you grip his arm with one hand and the back of his neck with the other. He's determined to leave a clearly visible mark this time, but you're enjoying it too much to protest.

Sans leaves another hickey on the other side of your neck, closer to your collar bone. You're too distracted to really notice him shift his weight, his hand traveling down your torso. You cry out, your grip tightening when his fingers slip inside you. You're chewing your bottom lip to keep yourself quiet.

"Come on, don't hold back." He breathes, searching for that sensitive spot. You manage a laugh, shaking your head and biting your lips closed. You don't want to scar Pap. "I love those sounds you make." Sans adds, sliding another finger inside before biting down on your neck again.

You cry out, your hands digging into Sans' shoulders. Quickly you clamp your mouth shut again and he chuckles. His weight shifts and you squirm a little in anticipation, wondering what he's going to do next. "Mm. I like you like this." His fingers twitch and you moan before falling still when he doesn't move again.

His fingers twitch again and you whimper when he stops, your thighs falling back against the bed with a shaky breath. "Heh, I can see why you had so much fun." He adds when he works his hand agonizingly slow, making you give tiny sounds between panting breaths. Without realizing it your body moves to meet him and he chuckles before quickly pulling away.

You fall back to the bed and pout a little, trying to catch your breath. "I think the same rules should apply. You...have to stay still." You can hear the satisfied smile in his voice. "If you move, I'll stop."

"Is this what I did? I almost feel bad."

A sound you've never made escapes you when you feel a cool tongue run across your nipple at the same time his fingers slide inside you again. Sans shudders against you. "Don't, it was worth the tease." He tells you before rolling his tongue again and stroking that sensitive spot inside. You grip the bed sheets, quietly whimpering as you try to stay still.

Sans bites your breast just this side of pleasurable and your back arches. He laughs smugly and you feel the bed depress as he leans back. "R-really? That-that counted?" You ask. "Guess I'm a little stricter than you." He replies, massaging your breast with his free hand.

It's harder to stay still now, it feels like every move he makes is torturous pleasure. You're so focused on not moving that when he changes what he's doing even slightly; changing speed or pressure, you're too surprised to keep yourself from moving or moaning loudly.

You grip the sheets so tightly your fingers go numb when he very slowly begins to lick your clit. His fingers gently work, bringing you closer to the edge. Your muscles tremble with the building pleasure and the effort to keep from squirming.

Sans pulls back and you groan, pulling on the bedspread. "W-why did you stop?" You whine breathlessly. He laughs massaging your thighs. "Because I like teasing you. You were far too focused on being still." He shifts his weight again, the bed creaks. "And I really wanted to see you squirm again."

You laugh a little. "You're the one that wanted me to sit still, and now you regret it?"

"Yeah. But if I let you move again, I don't want you being quiet." His gravelly tone makes your heart flutter. "I want you to scream for me." He adds breathlessly. A little squeak escapes you and he chuckles. "You're so hot when you talk like that." You tell him.

His hands trail down your stomach to your hips. "So?" He prompts. You bite your lip while you think, his hands continue down until he's cupping your ass. "Okay." You finally reply. "Heh. Say it." He breathes. "Say what?" You tease, feigning ignorance.

Sans growls playfully, gripping your butt tighter and pulling you closer to him. He pulls your knees over his shoulders, lifting your hips off the bed. You can feel his dick pressed against you. You swallow, your mouth is suddenly dry when you feel his pulse.

"Say you'll scream for me," He answers, sliding one hand up your back and the other over your hip. "And I'll make you scream."

You're tempted to make a joke about his ego but you decide not to. You're too worked up to be embarrassed when you say, "I'll s-scream for you." His fingers dig into your skin. "Good." He slowly guides himself in and he feels incredible after all the teasing. You arch your back, speeding up those last few inches and gasp at the feeling of him filling you.

"Eager, aren't you?" He jokes, holding your hips still when you try to move against him. "Thought I didn't have to be still?" You ask. "I'm just enjoying the view." You open your mouth to tell him you can't take much more waiting but he's already thrusting. You haven't felt this before. It doesn't take long before you're bracing your arm against the headboard above you, begging him to fuck you harder. You're practically screaming between every gasp for air.

Sans pauses for just a moment, letting one of your legs and your back fall to the bed before he resumes, a little slower than before. You feel his thumb circling your clit and you slap a hand over your mouth to silence the scream. "Uh uh, remember the rules." He says, tugging your hand away from your face. You tremble when he stops moving.

"Whew...I think I need a second." He slides your other leg from his shoulder and catches it when it starts to fall, laughing at you lying limp and breathless on the bed. You shudder at the sensation. The bed depresses beneath you and you feel Sans' skin against yours. His hands intertwine with yours and he shifts them over your head.

"Now you can't stifle those fucking incredible sounds you make." He says into your ear before working himself in and out of you again. Your hands clench his tightly and your voice is steadily growing louder. "Oh God." He ducks his face into your neck, his grip tightens too.

"I'm nearly..." You pant, unable to say more. "Nnngh." Sans groans, shaking. He pushes himself back, letting go of your right hand to massage your clit again.

Your back arches sharply and you gasp before moaning loudly, your free hand clutches the bed. "F-fuck. Come for me, I want to hear you scream my name." He practically begs. Your muscles tremble, everything is compressing to a small white light. "I-I..." You aren't really sure what you're trying to say. "Oh God, you can't even t-talk. Come on, you're s-so cl-close. Just let go."

The orgasm hits you suddenly and you curl forward before your back arches again, pushing your shoulders into the bed. You scream as your body rocks with the waves of ecstasy washing over you. "Holy FUCK! SAAANS!" You cry out again as he curls over you, gripping your shoulders almost painfully as he rides out his own climax. Your hands rake down his back as he shudders in pleasure, still weakly thrusting into you.

He groans with the effort to push away and you moan at the feeling of him sliding out of you as he flops to the bed. You can't even reach up to untie the ribbon.

A strange feeling tingles against your face and the ribbon is gone. You blink slowly, seeing a faint red shine around your eyes. You glance over at Sans when you muster the energy and manage a breathless laugh. He looks drunk, a dazed look in his eyes, a dark blush covers his cheek-bones and a shit-eating grin is plastered on his face.

"You look...awful...proud." You tell him, feeling sweat drip down your face. You notice he's sweating pretty badly himself. He blinks and turns to look at you, his expression softens a little. "That was fucking incredible." He breathes. You shiver. "That even...shit that even topped the one from earlier."

You laugh. "It was pretty fantastic. I can't move yet."

Sans laughs, closing his eyes and sighing. He yawns and you stare at his fangs again. "I don't know how you don't break my skin with those." You tell him. He smiles at you, licking his teeth. You shiver again, amazed that you can feel anything remotely close to arousal at this point. Sans laughs again. "You're going to fuck me into the grave, kiddo."

You laugh again. "I can't help it! But I'm honestly good, you got me and I'm good." He pulls you close, your body still feels heavy with the afterglow. "Good. 'Cause I need to recover." He adds, wrapping his arms around you. He reaches behind him and throws the blanket over you both. You smile and snuggle closer to him, not caring about the sweat covering you two.

He smiles and shakily brushes hair from your face. He winces a little at the marks on your neck. "You're going to be pissed when you see those tomorrow. Does it hurt?" He asks. You shake your head weakly. "Nah. It was pretty damn sexy." You tell him, his smile returns.

"I bruised your wrists, so I guess we're even." You add.

He shrugs a little in agreement. "Papy's gonna scold us." He adds with a throaty chuckle. You gasp. "He's still asleep, right?" Sans laughs and kisses you, wincing as his sore muscles move. "He sleeps like a damn rock, don't worry." He winces again. "Jeeze, I think you scratched my back." He says with a laugh.

You grimace. "Sorry. You were just that good." You boop his invisible nose. He chuckles as his eyes cross. "You keep calling me 'kiddo', how old are you?" You ask, remembering suddenly all the times he's called you 'kid'.

He frowns at the question. "Uh...is that really important?" You laugh at his awkward expression. "I'm just curious."

He coughs unconvincingly, looking away. "Oh jeeze, are you like, really old?" You tease. You gasp mockingly. "Are you actually younger than me? The scandal."

Sans snorts. "No, I'm just-it's kind of weird to me when I think about it sometimes." You re-adjust on the pillow, waiting patiently for his answer. "I'm 27." You laugh loud. "That's not that bad. I'm 20." You pause, frowning in thought. "Actually, I might be 21." You add, realizing you could have missed a birthday while down here.

"Yeah, that's almost ten years difference." He isn't looking at you. "Don't monsters live longer than humans anyway?" You ask. "Yeah, but monsters mature a little differently. I mean the queen is well over a hundred. But she's not even an 'adult' by boss monster standards. Pap's 19, he's still got a ways to go as far as being an adult, heh. He was like a giant kid even when he was his other self. I think Undyne's 30? She doesn't talk about her age much. Grillby's like...old. He remembers what the surface looks like."

You snuggle closer to Sans and he smiles down at you. "So when are monsters considered 'adults'?" You ask. Sans shrugs, rubbing your arm with his thumb. "We all get our adult bodies around 12, give or take a year or two. After that it's just figuring out who you are, just growing-up mentally. Some of us take a while, some of us are grown before we're grown."

You chuckle a little at that. "Humans are legally adults at 18, no ifs, ands, or buts. Everyone kind of matures mentally at their own pace, sounds like how monsters are too. Some of us don't stop physically maturing until we're in our twenties." Sans is tense. You look up at him and his eyebrows are creased in worry, his eyes are black. "Oh shit! That sounds bad! I'm an adult, Sans! You don't have to worry about that. A young adult, but still an adult."

He clasps a hand to his chest and sighs heavily. "Yeah, that sounded really bad."

You laugh nervously. "My um body hasn't changed in about five years, so I'm assuming I'm done growing. Guys uh, males I mean, will sometimes keep growing taller or more muscular in their twenties. And sometimes females will lose the rest of their baby-fat or stuff like that."

Sans flops back on the pillow. "I told you I can't handle more surprises. I was genuinely terrified you were still a child for a moment."

You lean forward (wincing as muscles protest) and kiss him a few times, enjoying each time more than the last. "Not a child, don't worry." He yawns again and pulls you close, tucking your head under his chin. "Good. Tonight was too good to ruin."

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, some slight sexual references. Again the next chapter will be unedited, so be sure to skip it if you don't want to read sexually explicit things.

Something bothers you. It hangs at the edge of awareness but you can't figure out what it is. Your foot bounces furiously and you chew your thumbnail in thought.

"Yo...?" Undyne snaps her fingers in front of your face and you shake yourself from your reverie. "Huh?" You question, louder than you intended.

She smiles at you. She looks softer with the eye patch, it suits her. Her legs weakly tread water where she leans against the side of the path. You sit with your legs crossed at the edge of the deep lake, not really in the mood to swim with her today. The lake reminds you of an old rock quarry filled with water, a sudden sharp depth at the very edge.

"You were spacing out."

"Yeah. A lot on my mind."

She nods, setting her chin on her folded arms and looking up at you. "So like...there's this...someone I used to hang out with alot, before you and Pap set me right." You notice a small blush on her cheeks. "But I'm not sure if...it'll be the same when you get to her. She's pretty scary. And I still..." Undyne sighs, resting her forehead on her arms and hiding her face for a moment. She sighs but lifts her head with a broad smile.

"I guess I'm saying I've got a lot on my mind too." Her smile falters. "Do you know when you're moving forward again?" she asks.

Your blood runs cold at the thought of seeing the king again. "I need to go soon, but I'm not brave enough."

"Bravery is doing something you know is terrifying and doing it anyway. You're pretty brave already, kid. Bravest thing I've seen." She says honestly, gesturing to the scars on your arms. "I don't know anyone who would even think of facing that again. And you're going to, you just don't know when. That's fucking brave."

You smile, feeling warm at the compliment.

Undyne shudders, closing her eye. "I thought I could be captain. I can't. I couldn't face that-that thing. I just knew it was pure evil when I saw it, more evil than I could ever be. And I stupidly tried to fight it. 's how I lost my eye, took it out with me pinned down and turned it to stare back at me before severing the optic nerve. Then it dug that awful darkness into my socket... Sometimes I swear I can still feel it, digging in my brain."

"They would slice me until I was nearly dead, but too weak to fight back and then shove that dark into every scratch. The king would force-feed me back to health and do it all over again. I've scared Sans and Pap more than once this week because I wake up screaming if it's dark."

Undyne laughs a little darkly, looking up at you. "The kings an awful cook, surprised that didn't kill you."

You laugh, her humor is unexpectedly relieving.

"Seriously, it's just fucking shredded cardboard with glitter! Good God, how did you not choke to death?"

You're laughing so hard your sides hurt now. Undyne beams, chuckling. "I know in my bones that you're more good than any of us could ever be. You've got this."

"Your friend. I'm sure she'll want to see you after all this." You tell Undyne. This brightens her face for a moment before it falls again. "I hope so. She was pretty rad." Undyne hauls herself out of the water and sits next to you, water floods the path and you scoot out of the way.

"So what's on your mind?" She asks, twisting her long hair up in a bun. She smiles mischeiviously. "Is it Saaaaans?" She elbows you a little too hard while you laugh. "I need to get through hotland and face the king. I'm terrified I won't be strong enough to go on. But that's not what's bothering me."

Undyne frowns at you. "Then what is?"

"I...I don't know." You and Sans decided to not tell your friends about the timeline selves you fused with to keep it a secret as much as possible. "I feel like I'm forgetting something incredibly important and it's holding me back. Like there's something worse than facing the end that I don't know about yet."

Undyne nods, bracing her weight on her arms on either side of her legs and leaning forward. "Are you scared to see the surface again?" She asks.

You shrug. You'd love to get your cult arrested for the crap they brainwashed you with, but you doubt it would get anywhere. Plus you know you need to reset this timeline, but you don't know how to do it.

"I'm scared of what I don't know." You tell her.

Her eyebrows rise in agreement and she nods. "Yeah, that's always scary." She smiles at you before pulling you close, her arm wrapped around your neck. She noogies your head while you laugh too hard to successfully fight back. "But you got three of the strongest fucking monsters in the underground on your side, you got this! We'll go with you to fight! Or whatever it is you do instead of fight."

She releases you and you struggle to lay your hair flat with a laugh. "Thanks Undyne. But, there's actually something I needed to tell you." You say, remembering why you asked to spend the day with her.

"Sorry to keep it until the end, but I didn't know how to say it sooner." Undyne shrugs, not seeming to mind. "The king is trying to take back Waterfall and Snowdin. They specifically told me that you and Papyrus were going to pay for letting me get as far as I did. Since you and Pap are so strong, I-I think you guys should stay and protect the others while I go forward."

She nods quietly. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. If they double back while you're gone, we should be here to stop them. If you get to the castle, they'll definitely drop what they're doing and leave us alone. So make sure you don't dawdle in Hotland and the Core."

You're relieved to hear she isn't upset at the idea. "And we'll try to catch up if we can!" Undyne adds. You laugh.

"So...your friend. Is there anything you can tell me that'll help me win her over?"

Undyne scoots closer to you, leaning very close to your face. You try to pull away but she grabs your cheeks and is close enough to make you think for an upsetting moment that she's going to kiss you. You don't like Undyne like that, she's just a friend!

"Her name is Dr. Alphys, she's the royal scientist. She has her own guards, they like meat and it's hard to find, so get any meat you can before you go there. They'll be giant push overs if you feed them." She whispers, reaching up to undo her hair with one hand while the other slides to the back of your neck. It falls around you both like a curtain. You look up at her, incredibly confused. "She has a very, very short temper. She'll make mistakes if you make her mad enough. Tell her you know me, tell her you know I like human TV, tell her I've cooked for you and helped heal you."

Undyne pulls you even closer. "She has cameras everywhere, she knows you've been spending time with the monsters and she'll be watching now because I haven't seen her in so long." You suddenly realize in relief that Undyne is putting on a show. Your tension evaporates and Undyne pulls back with a wide smile.

"You're spending the night at my place." She says, standing and pulling you up after her. She sprints to her home and quickly flops on the couch face-first. "My curtains are all drawn and I've de-bugged this place with Pap's help. But she can see Waterfall." She says into the cushions.

"You okay?" You ask when she doesn't move for a few minutes.

"Yeah. I just feel awful for acting like that to hurt her." She turns her face to look at you. "Is that right? To hurt someone you care about for their own good? Since I've been like this...all I can think about is seeing her again. But she wouldn't like me like this."

You smile weakly and sit by her on the couch when she sits up. "Sometimes that's the only way. Sans and Papyrus' hearts had to break before they believed me and let themselves return to who they should be. Or as much as they can. Sans is still..."

Undyne nudges you with her elbow, smiling at you. "He's not the same since you came back from the king. The other day, I saw him at his sentry post listening to the echo flowers and he had the biggest, dorkiest smile on his face."

You laugh at that, glad to hear he really was better than before. You remember when Flowey was still with you and he had killed you so many times. Sans didn't know where Flowey had gone either, he swore he left the little flower in your room at the inn and you believed him.

"Do you know where I can get meat, Undyne?" You ask. "I have some in the fridge. Mini-cow steaks. They'll keep for a couple hours in a bag. Take all of it before you go to Hotland. Plus it'll give me an excuse to see you again before you go!"

You swallow, your stomach turns. "Sounds great! Thank you, Undyne."

She smiles softly. "And I'll get to wish you good luck, even though you won't need it because you'll be taking Sans with you, right?"

"Right." You manage to say without stuttering.

Undyne's smile fails and she looks away. "Let me get you some blankets, it's getting late and you shouldn't walk back to Snowdin. Sans and Pap will understand. You should call them so they don't worry." She adds the last sentence as she walks down the hall. You both know you aren't going back to Snowdin, but she still feels the urge to encourage you to reconsider.

You pull the cell phone Sans gave you out of your new jeans and dial his number. Undyne drops a folded blanket with a pillow on top of it on the edge of the couch. She hesitates before hugging you tightly. "I'm going to bed, kiddo. Get some good rest, okay? I'll make us waffles or some shit in the morning."

Sans doesn't pick up the first try.

"Oh, and I found your bag in the river." She adds, pointing at the bag by the door. "Thank you Undyne."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." She says dismissively, turning to the hall and heading to her room. The door shuts quietly.

You close your eyes, taking a deep breath to settle your anxiety. You dial Sans again, he picks up on the third ring. "Hey. Sorry," You hear a weak yawn. "I fell asleep in the lab. Been trying to talk to the Doc again."

"It's okay. I'm staying at Undyne's tonight, time kind of flew by."

"You sure? I can be there in a sec and bring you home." You close your eyes, struggling to keep your resolve. Curling up with Sans one last time? No, you'd never leave if you did that. It has to be now.

"N-no, Undyne fell asleep already and she promised me breakfast. I'd feel bad if I left again with out saying goodbye."

"Well, I could come there. She wouldn't mind, I'm sure."

You force a little laugh. "Someone's pretty insistent on sleeping with me."

Sans laughs on the other end. It's a lovely sound, throaty and glad. "What can I say? I already miss you a skele- _ton_." His tone changes from cheerful to gloomy. "I'll be a little sad to sleep alone tonight. Already used to having you as a space heater."

It had only been a week since the night at the inn but you felt the same way. You hadn't slept so good in your life, even when the dark horrified you. "Yeah, I'll miss you too. Isn't that silly? It's just one night, but I doubt I'll get any sleep."

"Eh, we can nap tomorrow when you get home."

"That sounds nice. Can't wait."

"You okay? You sound weird."

"Yeah. I'm just tired. Undyne and I trained and swam all day."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"See you in the morning?" He makes it a question.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

There's a long silence.

"Good night, Sans."

"Night."

You close your eyes tight and pull the phone away from your ear. You stare at the screen quietly ticking up the time of the call, your finger hovers over the 'end' button. You jam it and shove the phone in your pocket.

Knowing you can't get sleep now, you stand and grab your bag at the door. You turn and go into the kitchen, packing the paper-wrapped meat in your backpack. Undyne has a lot of meat, you only take two thirds of what the bag can carry in case you need to carry anything else. You think you can hear Undyne lightly snoring in her bedroom, but you aren't sure.

You sigh and pull the bag over your shoulders. You expect to get to Hotland before the day starts.

Very quietly you open Undynes door, locking the door knob behind you. You half-expect to see Sans when you turn into the small cave that holds Undyne's home, but you don't. You didn't think you were that convincing, but maybe he was trusting you? The thought that you were betraying him hurt more than leaving him behind.

You make your way through Waterfall before you realize you'll have to pass through the cavern with the darkness. You're prepared to "pay the tax" this time though, you have a knife ready to slice your hand in hopes that the darkness will leave you alone this time.

The cavern lies before you, the glowing grass is a foot away. You take a deep breath and pull out the knife.

"I know a better shortcut." A gravelly voice says behind you.

You jump in surprise, clenching the knife tightly. Sans stands behind you, his hands in his coat. "No scream this time, you're getting used to being scared." He sighs, his shoulders slumping. "I'm sure you wanted me to trust you, but no way would you turn down cuddles." He stares you down with a slowly dying smile.

"That'll just make the dark kill you faster." He points at the knife. "You have to squeak the third mushroom twice, or is the the second mushroom three times?" He shrugs. "You'll have to find out on your own and hope you can run fast enough, and hope the king isn't waiting for you, and hope the darkness doesn't remember your boyfriend shredded most of it and tries to take it out on you. Oh, and hope you can make it through the fucking royal scientist and her guards to the core, through the castle guards, the monsters in the core, all the traps and puzzles. Not to mention Muffett and some other crazy shit Alphys has cooked up in the meantime, or that the king has definitely tripled the defenses."

Sans looks very harshly at you, shoving his hands in his coat again.

"Boyfriend?" You squeak. Sans doesn't laugh, he growls baring his teeth and looks away from you. "You can't do this alone, it's too dangerous."

"I have to."

Sans glares at you. "You don't have to go alone."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't." Sans argues, his voice rising.

"Sans, I'm not going to die."

"Yeah, you are. And it's only a matter of time before you're gone for good or you--"

"I'm not going to die until I fix this!"

"WHAT IF YOU CAN'T?" You jump back at his outburst as his eye flashes red, you haven't heard him yell in months. Not since that first few days. It chills your soul. "What if you die so much that you..." Sans is shaking. "What if you die so much that you turn into Karrin again?"

"Is that what you're afraid of?" You ask softly, your hands fall to your sides.

"It would be more unbearable than if I was left alone in the void for eternity. I just..." He closes his eyes. You feel the slightest tingle of a very familiar pressure in your chest. "Sans...?"

"I can't let you do that. I can't let you die again." You start breathing harder when the pressure begins to build. He could forcibly take you anywhere.

"Don't do this." You plead.

He turns his head away and the pressure vanishes. The fact that he was so close to making you go with him unsettles you.

"At least," He takes a long breath, steadying himself. "At least let me go with you."

"Will you force me back to Snowdin if I say no?" You ask icily.

He winces, flinching at the cold tone. "No. No I won't make you do anything. I'm sorry. I just don't think I could survive it this time. I love you too much."

You relax a little, closing the distance to hug him. You drop the knife first. He hugs you back desperately. "I love you too, you giant dork. It's okay, you just scared me. But...I definitely scared you too. I'm sorry. I thought...I thought it would be better if I went alone because I don't think I could keep going if you got hurt."

"Heh. This was so much easier when we hated each other." He says deadpan. You shudder and bury your face in his chest. "Sorry, I didn't mean it. This is just...really fucking soul-wrenching."

"Yeah." You laugh darkly. "We need to keep going." You lean back to look up at him. "Do we absolutely have to go tonight?" He asks. He tilts his head forward until his forehead touches yours. "Can't we just...wait a little longer? Please?"

You close your eyes and kiss him. "No, we can't. I'm worried if we don't go now, we'll never go. That's why I left today, I just had to go and not look back." You look up at him. He looks tired, his forehead is creased like his eyebrows are knit together. "And don't ask me again, because I'd go with you and never leave Snowdin."

He laughs a little, some of the worry easing from his face. "I might have to call your bluff." You aren't sure you have the DETERMINATION to continue right now, but you must...right? You've been putting this off for so long, and gotten distracted so many times. You still had to find Flowey, and there was so much left to do.

"Just...one more night. The same place as before, we won't lose any time. Don't make me beg."

Your resolve breaks. "But I like making you beg."

**

The sleeping bags are still rolled neatly in the corner of the grey room. You don't bother unrolling them, you barely have time to slide out of the bag before Sans shoves you against the wall. He growls against your neck and you moan, grabbing the back of his skull encouraging him to bite down.

Sans obliges, biting under your chin as his hands travel down your body to your hips. You whimper, sliding your hands over his shoulders to get his coat off. He shuffles and the coat falls to the floor, his tongue still hungrily licking your skin...

**

Sans breathes raggedly and collapses on top of you. You give a little "oof" at the impact but it doesn't really bother you.

A sudden bittersweet twinge pulls at your heart. You might not feel this close with him ever again. If you succeed and reset everything how you know it should be, you as a child saving the underground, you'll never have this with him in the future. He might even love someone else if you've both forgotten each other as effectively as you hope. You might not even like each other, or see each other.

Your eyes sting with tears before you can stop yourself. You don't want to think about that right now, with your body still basking in the afterglow of such an intimate moment.

Sans lifts his head, holding your face in his hands. "What's wrong?" He asks concerned. "I di-didn't hurt you did I?"

"No, no you didn't hurt me. I'm just..." You can't finish your sentence. He closes his eyes and kisses you. "I know. Its why I wanted one more night." He whispers. "I just want to stay like this as long as we can."

You hold him tight. "But we can't. We have to keep going."

He shakes his head. "No. Tomorrow. We'll worry about that tomorrow." You nod, your hands running across his back. "Okay."

You zip the sleeping bags together and cuddle close in the dim light of the room. You wonder where the light comes from if there isn't a bulb. You jokingly mention that you're cold (Sans doesn't have much body heat), and Sans decides that a little more intimacy should cure that.

"So, I kind of want to try something." He says after he's got you panting, a light sheen of sweat coats your skin. "What's that?" You ask. Sans blushes a little, glancing away and nervously scratches the back of his skull.

His eye flashes red and he chews his bottom lip. You gasp softly when another Sans leans over you. You blink rapidly, confused for a moment. "Um...two of you?" Your stomach flips. "What's wrong, need a few more?" The other Sans says with a wink. You cover your face in embarrassment at the idea and they both laugh.

You open your eyes when you feel one of them pulling your hands away. The first Sans shrugs. "I'm a little more amorous in about an hour or two, so it's just slightly future me."

You giggle a little, nervous. "I can't even say how unfair this is." You tell them. "All's fair in love..." The slightly future Sans says as the present Sans slides out of the sleeping bags.

You shake your head. "No, this is too weird."

The future Sans snaps his fingers and you're clothed, the sleeping bag rolls around you tightly like a butterfly's cocoon. It's quickly pinned down by a series of bones that encase you like a rib-cage.

"Good, because it would've been kind of weird- if you called my bluff." Present Sans says with a sigh of relief. Future Sans nods. "Weird, but fun." He shrugs.

Present Sans glances strangely at his other self but nods in agreement after a moment.

You huff with the effort of trying to wiggle free. "Uh uh, no way." Future Sans says sitting back on his hands while his other self gets dressed. "Let me guess, you're going to go off by yourself to kill the king?" You look at both of them.

"That's why there's two of us." Present Sans replies as he slides into his coat. He doesn't even seem surprised you guessed right. He slips back into his sneakers without looking at you. "If I die outside of this room, he'll take my place since he's outside the timeline."

Your heart sinks to your toes, a nauseating feeling rolls through your stomach. "You can't do this!" You struggle again even though it's a wasted effort. "I've done it before, in other timelines." You pant letting your head fall back against the ground.

"So you seduce me and then trap me? That's really cruel." You tell them. Neither of them looks at you. "You're seriously going to do this, Sans? You lied to me."

"It's better than the alternative. And you lied to me first." Present Sans says, looking back at you sadly. "At least if I die, its only once and the effect is less traumatic to the multiverse."

"Like you're only going to try this once." You snap, not mentioning how traumatic it'll be to you to keep seeing him leave for the last time only to make another self and try again. He smiles a little. "You got me." He says with his hands up in mock surrender.

You growl at him. Future Sans leans forward a little. "Our deaths won't affect anything outside of you." He brushes the hair from your face. "Which is...pretty fucking terrible, but it won't be the same as if Karrin comes back."

You narrow your eyes, clenching your fists to keep yourself from crying. A mischievous smile pulls at your lips.

Future Sans chuckles and kisses your forehead, twirling a strand of your hair in his fingers. "You can't reset from here. Go ahead, try."

Present Sans shoves his hands in his coat and watches you as your expression changes from angry skepticism to fear. You can't bring that ability to you in here. You start to breathe harder as you realize Sans really had planned this perfectly.

"You bastard." You spit, closing your eyes as you begin to cry. You lift your head when you hear his footsteps. "What about the Karrin with you? What will happen to her?" You ask him, he stops in his tracks halfway down the passage.

"We fused with them to save the universe."

"Multiverse." Future Sans corrects.

"Whatever." You snap. He shrugs, not bothered. "What will happen to her? What happened to trying to figure out what they had planned?"

Present Sans sighs, his head tilts forward. "She's told me what they planned. I'm sure that Sans has told you too, but you're not as in tune with the timelines as your other selves. You have a terrible memory this time. The 'plan' is to kill the king and use their twelve human souls along with yours to bend all of reality to your whim and recreate it, with you as a child and no recollection of these past lives." He sighs again. "It'll just be another eternity of this," his hands spread out and fall at his sides. "only you'll be nine and we won't fall in love. This will never end. No one with that kind of power could possibly stop without eventually destroying reality, the temptation is too great."

He pauses, standing a little straighter. "Well, for most souls anyway. And I am far from most souls."


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the non-edited, NSFW version of this chapter. As of now, it's the last one planned but *shrug* that may change.

Something bothers you. It hangs at the edge of awareness but you can't figure out what it is. Your foot bounces furiously and you chew your thumbnail in thought.

"Yo...?" Undyne snaps her fingers in front of your face and you shake yourself from your reverie. "Huh?" You question, louder than you intended.

She smiles at you. She looks softer with the eye patch, it suits her. Her legs weakly tread water where she leans against the side of the path. You sit with your legs crossed at the edge of the deep lake, not really in the mood to swim with her today. The lake reminds you of an old rock quarry filled with water, a sudden sharp depth at the very edge.

"You were spacing out."

"Yeah. A lot on my mind."

She nods, setting her chin on her folded arms and looking up at you. "So like...there's this...someone I used to hang out with alot, before you and Pap set me right." You notice a small blush on her cheeks. "But I'm not sure if...it'll be the same when you get to her. She's pretty scary. And I still..." Undyne sighs, resting her forehead on her arms and hiding her face for a moment. She sighs but lifts her head with a broad smile.

"I guess I'm saying I've got a lot on my mind too." Her smile falters. "Do you know when you're moving forward again?" she asks.

Your blood runs cold at the thought of seeing the king again. "I need to go soon, but I'm not brave enough."

"Bravery is doing something you know is terrifying and doing it anyway. You're pretty brave already, kid. Bravest thing I've seen." She says honestly, gesturing to the scars on your arms. "I don't know anyone who would even think of facing that again. And you're going to, you just don't know when. That's fucking brave."

You smile, feeling warm at the compliment.

Undyne shudders, closing her eye. "I thought I could be captain. I can't. I couldn't face that-that thing. I just knew it was pure evil when I saw it, more evil than I could ever be. And I stupidly tried to fight it. 's how I lost my eye, took it out with me pinned down and turned it to stare back at me before severing the optic nerve. Then it dug that awful darkness into my socket... Sometimes I swear I can still feel it, digging in my brain."

"They would slice me until I was nearly dead, but too weak to fight back and then shove that dark into every scratch. The king would force-feed me back to health and do it all over again. I've scared Sans and Pap more than once this week because I wake up screaming if it's dark."

Undyne laughs a little darkly, looking up at you. "The kings an awful cook, surprised that didn't kill you."

You laugh, her humor is unexpectedly relieving.

"Seriously, it's just fucking shredded cardboard with glitter! Good God, how did you not choke to death?"

You're laughing so hard your sides hurt now. Undyne beams, chuckling. "I know in my bones that you're more good than any of us could ever be. You've got this."

"Your friend. I'm sure she'll want to see you after all this." You tell Undyne. This brightens her face for a moment before it falls again. "I hope so. She was pretty rad." Undyne hauls herself out of the water and sits next to you, water floods the path and you scoot out of the way.

"So what's on your mind?" She asks, twisting her long hair up in a bun. She smiles mischievously. "Is it Saaaaans?" She elbows you a little too hard while you laugh. "I need to get through hotland and face the king. I'm terrified I won't be strong enough to go on. But that's not what's bothering me."

Undyne frowns at you. "Then what is?"

"I...I don't know." You and Sans decided to not tell your friends about the timeline selves you fused with to keep it a secret as much as possible. "I feel like I'm forgetting something incredibly important and it's holding me back. Like there's something worse than facing the end that I don't know about yet."

Undyne nods, bracing her weight on her arms on either side of her legs and leaning forward. "Are you scared to see the surface again?" She asks.

You shrug. You'd love to get your cult arrested for the crap they brainwashed you with, but you doubt it would get anywhere. Plus you know you need to reset this timeline, but you don't know how to do it.

"I'm scared of what I don't know." You tell her.

Her eyebrows rise in agreement and she nods. "Yeah, that's always scary." She smiles at you before pulling you close, her arm wrapped around your neck. She noogies your head while you laugh too hard to successfully fight back. "But you got three of the strongest fucking monsters in the underground on your side, you got this! We'll go with you to fight! Or whatever it is you do instead of fight."

She releases you and you struggle to lay your hair flat with a laugh. "Thanks Undyne. But, there's actually something I needed to tell you." You say, remembering why you asked to spend the day with her.

"Sorry to keep it until the end, but I didn't know how to say it sooner." Undyne shrugs, not seeming to mind. "The king is trying to take back Waterfall and Snowdin. They specifically told me that you and Papyrus were going to pay for letting me get as far as I did. Since you and Pap are so strong, I-I think you guys should stay and protect the others while I go forward."

She nods quietly. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. If they double back while you're gone, we should be here to stop them. If you get to the castle, they'll definitely drop what they're doing and leave us alone. So make sure you don't dawdle in Hotland and the Core."

You're relieved to hear she isn't upset at the idea. "And we'll try to catch up if we can!" Undyne adds. You laugh.

"So...your friend. Is there anything you can tell me that'll help me win her over?"

Undyne scoots closer to you, leaning very close to your face. You try to pull away but she grabs your cheeks and is close enough to make you think for an upsetting moment that she's going to kiss you. You don't like Undyne like that, she's just a friend!

"Her name is Dr. Alphys, she's the royal scientist. She has her own guards, they like meat and it's hard to find, so get any meat you can before you go there. They'll be giant push overs if you feed them." She whispers, reaching up to undo her hair with one hand while the other slides to the back of your neck. It falls around you both like a curtain. You look up at her, incredibly confused. "She has a very, very short temper. She'll make mistakes if you make her mad enough. Tell her you know me, tell her you know I like human TV, tell her I've cooked for you and helped heal you."

Undyne pulls you even closer. "She has cameras everywhere, she knows you've been spending time with the monsters and she'll be watching now because I haven't seen her in so long." You suddenly realize in relief that Undyne is putting on a show. Your tension evaporates and Undyne pulls back with a wide smile.

"You're spending the night at my place." She says, standing and pulling you up after her. She sprints to her home and quickly flops on the couch face-first. "My curtains are all drawn and I've de-bugged this place with Pap's help. But she can see Waterfall." She says into the cushions.

"You okay?" You ask when she doesn't move for a few minutes.

"Yeah. I just feel awful for acting like that to hurt her." She turns her face to look at you. "Is that right? To hurt someone you care about for their own good? Since I've been like this...all I can think about is seeing her again. But she wouldn't like me like this."

You smile weakly and sit by her on the couch when she sits up. "Sometimes that's the only way. Sans and Papyrus' hearts had to break before they believed me and let themselves return to who they should be. Or as much as they can. Sans is still..."

Undyne nudges you with her elbow, smiling at you. "He's not the same since you came back from the king. The other day, I saw him at his sentry post listening to the echo flowers and he had the biggest, dorkiest smile on his face."

You laugh at that, glad to hear he really was better than before. You remember when Flowey was still with you and he had killed you so many times. Sans didn't know where Flowey had gone either, he swore he left the little flower in your room at the inn and you believed him.

"Do you know where I can get meat, Undyne?" You ask. "I have some in the fridge. Mini-cow steaks. They'll keep for a couple hours in a bag. Take all of it before you go to Hotland. Plus it'll give me an excuse to see you again before you go!"

You swallow, your stomach turns. "Sounds great! Thank you, Undyne."

She smiles softly. "And I'll get to wish you good luck, even though you won't need it because you'll be taking Sans with you, right?"

"Right." You manage to say without stuttering.

Undyne's smile fails and she looks away. "Let me get you some blankets, it's getting late and you shouldn't walk back to Snowdin. Sans and Pap will understand. You should call them so they don't worry." She adds the last sentence as she walks down the hall. You both know you aren't going back to Snowdin, but she still feels the urge to encourage you to reconsider.

You pull the cell phone Sans gave you out of your new jeans and dial his number. Undyne drops a folded blanket with a pillow on top of it on the edge of the couch. She hesitates before hugging you tightly. "I'm going to bed, kiddo. Get some good rest, okay? I'll make us waffles or some shit in the morning."

Sans doesn't pick up the first try.

"Oh, and I found your bag in the river." She adds, pointing at the bag by the door. "Thank you Undyne."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." She says dismissively, turning to the hall and heading to her room. The door shuts quietly.

You close your eyes, taking a deep breath to settle your anxiety. You dial Sans again, he picks up on the third ring. "Hey. Sorry," You hear a weak yawn. "I fell asleep in the lab. Been trying to talk to the Doc again."

"It's okay. I'm staying at Undyne's tonight, time kind of flew by."

"You sure? I can be there in a sec and bring you home." You close your eyes, struggling to keep your resolve. Curling up with Sans one last time? No, you'd never leave if you did that. It has to be now.

"N-no, Undyne fell asleep already and she promised me breakfast. I'd feel bad if I left again with out saying goodbye."

"Well, I could come there. She wouldn't mind, I'm sure."

You force a little laugh. "Someone's pretty insistent on sleeping with me."

Sans laughs on the other end. It's a lovely sound, throaty and glad. "What can I say? I already miss you a skele- _ton_." His tone changes from cheerful to gloomy. "I'll be a little sad to sleep alone tonight. Already used to having you as a space heater."

It had only been a week since the night at the inn but you felt the same way. You hadn't slept so good in your life, even when the dark horrified you. "Yeah, I'll miss you too. Isn't that silly? It's just one night, but I doubt I'll get any sleep."

"Eh, we can nap tomorrow when you get home."

"That sounds nice. Can't wait."

"You okay? You sound weird."

"Yeah. I'm just tired. Undyne and I trained and swam all day."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"See you in the morning?" He makes it a question.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

There's a long silence.

"Good night, Sans."

"Night."

You close your eyes tight and pull the phone away from your ear. You stare at the screen quietly ticking up the time of the call, your finger hovers over the 'end' button. You jam it and shove the phone in your pocket.

Knowing you can't get sleep now, you stand and grab your bag at the door. You turn and go into the kitchen, packing the paper-wrapped meat in your backpack. Undyne has a lot of meat, you only take two thirds of what the bag can carry in case you need to carry anything else. You think you can hear Undyne lightly snoring in her bedroom, but you aren't sure.

You sigh and pull the bag over your shoulders. You expect to get to Hotland before the day starts.

Very quietly you open Undynes door, locking the door knob behind you. You half-expect to see Sans when you turn into the small cave that holds Undyne's home, but you don't. You didn't think you were that convincing, but maybe he was trusting you? The thought that you were betraying him hurt more than leaving him behind.

You make your way through Waterfall before you realize you'll have to pass through the cavern with the darkness. You're prepared to "pay the tax" this time though, you have a knife ready to slice your hand in hopes that the darkness will leave you alone this time.

The cavern lies before you, the glowing grass is a foot away. You take a deep breath and pull out the knife.

"I know a better shortcut." A gravelly voice says behind you.

You jump in surprise, clenching the knife tightly. Sans stands behind you, his hands in his coat. "No scream this time, you're getting used to being scared." He sighs, his shoulders slumping. "I'm sure you wanted me to trust you, but no way would you turn down cuddles." He stares you down with a slowly dying smile.

"That'll just make the dark kill you faster." He points at the knife. "You have to squeak the third mushroom twice, or is the the second mushroom three times?" He shrugs. "You'll have to find out on your own and hope you can run fast enough, and hope the king isn't waiting for you, and hope the darkness doesn't remember your boyfriend shredded most of it and tries to take it out on you. Oh, and hope you can make it through the fucking royal scientist and her guards to the core, through the castle guards, the monsters in the core, all the traps and puzzles. Not to mention Muffett and some other crazy shit Alphys has cooked up in the meantime, or that the king has definitely tripled the defenses."

Sans looks very harshly at you, shoving his hands in his coat again.

"Boyfriend?" You squeak. Sans doesn't laugh, he growls baring his teeth and looks away from you. "You can't do this alone, it's too dangerous."

"I have to."

Sans glares at you. "You don't have to go alone."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't." Sans argues, his voice rising.

"Sans, I'm not going to die."

"Yeah, you are. And it's only a matter of time before you're gone for good or you--"

"I'm not going to die until I fix this!"

"WHAT IF YOU CAN'T?" You jump back at his outburst as his eye flashes red, you haven't heard him yell in months. Not since that first few days. It chills your soul. "What if you die so much that you..." Sans is shaking. "What if you die so much that you turn into Karrin again?"

"Is that what you're afraid of?" You ask softly, your hands fall to your sides.

"It would be more unbearable than if I was left alone in the void for eternity. I just..." He closes his eyes. You feel the slightest tingle of a very familiar pressure in your chest. "Sans...?"

"I can't let you do that. I can't let you die again." You start breathing harder when the pressure begins to build. He could forcibly take you anywhere.

"Don't do this." You plead.

He turns his head away and the pressure vanishes. The fact that he was so close to making you go with him unsettles you.

"At least," He takes a long breath, steadying himself. "At least let me go with you."

"Will you force me back to Snowdin if I say no?" You ask icily.

He winces, flinching at the cold tone. "No. No I won't make you do anything. I'm sorry. I just don't think I could survive it this time. I love you too much."

You relax a little, closing the distance to hug him. You drop the knife first. He hugs you back desperately. "I love you too, you giant dork. It's okay, you just scared me. But...I definitely scared you too. I'm sorry. I thought...I thought it would be better if I went alone because I don't think I could keep going if you got hurt."

"Heh. This was so much easier when we hated each other." He says deadpan. You shudder and bury your face in his chest. "Sorry, I didn't mean it. This is just...really fucking soul-wrenching."

"Yeah." You laugh darkly. "We need to keep going." You lean back to look up at him. "Do we absolutely have to go tonight?" He asks. He tilts his head forward until his forehead touches yours. "Can't we just...wait a little longer? Please?"

You close your eyes and kiss him. "No, we can't. I'm worried if we don't go now, we'll never go. That's why I left today, I just had to go and not look back." You look up at him. He looks tired, his forehead is creased like his eyebrows are knit together. "And don't ask me again, because I'd go with you and never leave Snowdin."

He laughs a little, some of the worry easing from his face. "I might have to call your bluff." You aren't sure you have the DETERMINATION to continue right now, but you must...right? You've been putting this off for so long, and gotten distracted so many times. You still had to find Flowey, and there was so much left to do.

"Just...one more night. The same place as before, we won't lose any time. Don't make me beg."

Your resolve breaks. "But I like making you beg."

**

The sleeping bags are still rolled neatly in the corner of the grey room. You don't bother unrolling them, you barely have time to slide out of the bag before Sans shoves you against the wall. He growls against your neck and you moan, grabbing the back of his skull encouraging him to bite down.

Sans obliges, biting under your chin as his hands travel down your body to your hips. You whimper, sliding your hands over his shoulders to get his coat off. He shuffles and the coat falls to the floor, his tongue still hungrily licking your skin.

For a brief moment you wonder if the reason making love with Sans is so intense because you both know you're living on borrowed time, or if it's really because you're both that passionate. He leans up to kiss you, his hands tugging at your jeans and you can't think of anything else but getting undressed faster. You reach down through the kiss, unbuttoning your pants to help.

He surprises you, jerking your pants roughly to your thighs and lifting your knees over his shoulders. He's pinned you against the wall with your legs trapped between you. You can feel him brush against your entrance, your body balanced precariously on his hips. His hands slide across your thighs before resting on your waist and he guides himself in.

Your head rolls back against the gray stone as he starts thrusting. In this position he feels harder than before. He bites his bottom lip when you moan his name. "O-oh my God, say my name again." You chuckle and let yourself go for a moment, he hits that sensitive spot at the same time you start to speak and it comes out louder than you thought it would. "Oh...Saaaans!"

"Shit..." He mumbles, you feel his legs wobble and he braces himself against the wall huffing. In the small break, you realize how uncomfortable your jeans are digging into your legs. "Can we switch positions?" He nods, stepping back and sliding out of you. You moan at the feeling, your legs wobbling too when they hit the floor.

You kick off your shoes and slide out of your jeans, they left red imprints in your skin. Sans slumps to the floor. You smile at him and slowly take off your shirt and sweater. When you look at him again his cheekbones are shadowed with a blush. You take off your bra even slower and laugh a little when his dick twitches in his lap.

He beckons you closer and you very carefully sit in his lap, he guides himself in. You both gasp when your hips touch. It feels different than when you were pinned against the wall, he's in deeper now and its enough to surprise you. You have to cover your mouth to keep from moaning embarrassingly loud.

"Heh, I love it when you try to hold back." He says, pulling your hand away from your mouth. "There's seriously no way anyone can hear you, and you're still shy." When you recover you pull his shirt off, you love the feeling of his skin against yours.

Sans leans down to kiss and massage your breasts while you grind against him. He moans against your skin, his right hand digging into your back. You tilt your head back, losing yourself in the motions and sounds he makes.

A sharp jolt of energy bursts from your chest and expands out, it feels like it connects with something solid. You're breathing hard when you look down at Sans, his tongue is pressed against your exposed soul. He's sweating, his cheeks flushed, his eyes half-lidded as he slowly caresses the small red heart with his tongue. You can feel his hands digging pleasantly into your back.

Your body tenses at the sensations, you grip Sans' shoulders tight as your hips start to move on their own. Sans shifts his weight and gently lays you on the floor, trading his tongue for his left hand over your soul. Your eyes roll back at the slowly building waves of pleasure rolling through you. You can't make real words anymore and begin to babble incoherently.

"What was that?" Sans asks teasingly as his other hand guides yours to his chest where his own soul rests against his sternum.

"P-please don't s-stop." You moan.

Sans bites his lip, curling forward as he moans. "Oh God, you're so fucking hot." You whimper at the husky tone. You carefully brush his soul and he cries out, thrusting harder. His right hand releases your wrist and travels lower, tracing circles over your clit with his thumb. You both cry out again as the soul connection slams you both with ecstasy.

Your vision is a wash of white light as you both climax together. You hear Sans scream your name, his shaking hands gripping you tight as you both ride out the orgasm. You can only cry out wordlessly as your back arches and your muscles convulse.

Sans breathes raggedly and collapses on top of you. You give a little "oof" at the impact but it doesn't really bother you. You chuckle, you both had a tendency to flop onto each other during intimate times. What a weirdly cute thing to do.

A sudden bittersweet twinge pulls at your heart. You might not feel this close with him ever again. If you succeed and reset everything how you know it should be, you as a child saving the underground, you'll never have this with him in the future. He might even love someone else if you've both forgotten each other as effectively as you hope. You might not even like each other, or see each other.

Your eyes sting with tears before you can stop yourself. You don't want to think about that right now, with your body still basking in the afterglow of such an intimate moment.

Sans lifts his head, holding your face in his hands. "What's wrong?" He asks concerned. "I di-didn't hurt you did I?"

"No, no you didn't hurt me. I'm just..." You can't finish your sentence. He closes his eyes and kisses you. "I know. Its why I wanted one more night." He whispers. "I just want to stay like this as long as we can."

You hold him tight. "But we can't. We have to keep going."

He shakes his head. "No. Tomorrow. We'll worry about that tomorrow." You nod, your hands running across his back. "Okay."

You zip the sleeping bags together and cuddle close in the dim light of the room. You wonder where the light comes from if there isn't a bulb. You jokingly mention that you're cold (Sans doesn't have much body heat), and Sans decides that a little more intimacy should cure that.

He isn't hard enough to tease you realize as his hands run down your skin. "I do have a limit, you know." He jokes as his fingers slip inside you. "And we've been at it like jack-rabbits." He breathes into your ear. You close your eyes, making small sounds as his fingers work. He kisses your collar bone.

"So, I kind of want to try something." He says after he's got you panting, a light sheen of sweat coats your skin. "What's that?" You ask. Sans blushes a little, glancing away as he pulls his hand from between your legs.

His eye flashes red and he chews his bottom lip. You gasp softly when another Sans leans over you. You blink rapidly, confused for a moment. "Um...two of you?" Your stomach flips. "What's wrong, need a few more?" The other Sans says with a wink. You cover your face in embarrassment at the idea and they both laugh.

You open your eyes when you feel one of them pulling your hands away. The first Sans shrugs. "I'm a little more amorous in about an hour or two, so it's just slightly future me."

You giggle a little, nervous. "I can't even say how unfair this is." You tell them. "All's fair in love..." The slightly future Sans says as the present Sans slides out of the sleeping bags.

You shake your head. "No, this is too weird."

The future Sans snaps his fingers and you're clothed, the sleeping bag rolls around you tightly like a butterfly's cocoon. It's quickly pinned down by a series of bones that encase you like a rib-cage.

"Good, because it would've been kind of weird if you called my bluff." Present Sans says with a sigh of relief. Future Sans nods. "Weird, but fun." He shrugs. "I mean there are some things that have been rolling around in my head that would be just..." Future Sans bites his bottom lip and closes his eyes. "Well, that's if you were up for it anyway." He adds, looking down at you as he strokes your face.

Present Sans glances strangely at his other self but nods in agreement after a moment.

You huff with the effort of trying to wiggle free. "Uh huh, no way." Future Sans says sitting back on his hands while his other self gets dressed. "Let me guess, you're going to go off by yourself to kill the king?" You look at both of them.

"That's why there's two of us." Present Sans replies as he slides into his coat. He doesn't even seem surprised you guessed right. He slips back into his sneakers without looking at you. "If I die outside of this room, he'll take my place since he's outside the timeline."

Your heart sinks to your toes, a nauseating feeling rolls through your stomach. "You can't do this!" You struggle again even though it's a wasted effort. You pant letting your head fall back against the ground.

"So you seduce me and then trap me? That's really cruel. You lied to me." You tell them. Neither of them looks at you. "You're seriously going to do this, Sans?"

"It's better than the alternative. And you lied first." Present Sans says, looking back at you sadly. "At least if I die, its only once and the effect is less traumatic to the multiverse."

"Like you're only going to try this once." You snap, not mentioning how traumatic it'll be to you to keep seeing him leave for the last time only to make another self and try again. He smiles a little. "You got me." He says with his hands up in mock surrender.

You growl at him. Future Sans leans forward a little. "Our deaths won't affect anything outside of you." He brushes the hair from your face. "Which is...pretty fucking terrible, but it won't be the same as if Karrin comes back."

You narrow your eyes, clenching your fists to keep yourself from crying. A mischievous smile pulls at your lips.

Future Sans chuckles and kisses your forehead, twirling a strand of your hair in his fingers. "You can't reset from here. Go ahead, try."

Present Sans shoves his hands in his coat and watches you as your expression changes from angry skepticism to fear. You can't bring that ability to you in here. You start to breathe harder as you realize Sans really had planned this perfectly.

"You bastard." You spit, closing your eyes as you begin to cry. You lift your head when you hear his footsteps. "What about the Karrin with you? What will happen to her?" You ask him, he stops in his tracks halfway down the passage.

"We fused with them to save the universe."

"Multiverse." Future Sans corrects.

"Whatever." You snap. He shrugs, not bothered. "What will happen to her? What happened to trying to figure out what they had planned?"

Present Sans sighs, his head tilts forward. "She's told me what they planned. I'm sure that Sans has told you too, but you're not as in tune with the timelines as your other selves. You have a terrible memory this time. The 'plan' is to kill the king and use their twelve human souls along with yours to bend all of reality to your whim and recreate it, with you as a child and no recollection of these past lives. It'll just be another eternity of this, only you'll be nine and we won't fall in love. This will never end. No one with that kind of power could possibly stop without eventually destroying reality, the temptation is too great."

He pauses, standing a little straighter. "Well, for most souls anyway. And I am far from most souls."

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter is shorter than the average, but it has a natural break and the next chapter is quite long. There's some weird (but light) sexual inferences in this chapter, gore and some sad.
> 
>  
> 
> *Hm...what're you up to Sans?

You take a shaky breath and he glances back at you with a smile. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt anyone. I just need to be stronger than you to make the world perfect. That's all I want. Peace. A nice long uneventful life with my brother, my friends and you. I'm remaking the multiverse, erasing the other timelines and establishing this as the only reality. There will be no more deviations, no more resets, no more death. Because I won't allow it. I won't allow you to sacrifice yourself, this best version of you just to throw it away on the hope that you'll be better next time. I'm far too selfish to let you do that and I have allowed all of this to happen for too long." He turns from you. "Guys like me should never take a break."

You don't know what to say, you can't believe what's happening.

 _Stop him!_ A voice in your mind screams. How? How can you stop him? You wonder. "Sans! Please don't do this!" You scream, struggling hard against the tight cocoon.

"You're just going to get tired." Future Sans says monotone, resting his chin in his hand. "Good luck." He says to the present Sans.

_Make him come back!_

"How?!" You scream out loud. Future Sans frowns down at you.

Frantic echoes roll through your mind. It feels like the world is spinning wildly. _Hurt..._ You blink rapidly, nodding your understanding. The echoes stop and you can concentrate.

You clench your fists and slam your head against the stone floor as hard as you can, like your life depends on you cracking the back of your skull open. Future Sans eyes are wide with horrified surprise, his face swims as you lift your head to try again. He shoves his hands under your head to protect you from the blow and you hear him cry out in horror when your skull bounces with a sickening smack against his fingers. Your limbs go limp and everything goes black for a long moment.

"PLEASE! Stop doing that!" He begs.

You feel hands tugging at the sleeping bag cocoon. The tightness encasing you is gone. You groan when your vision returns, the light burns your retina. The bones have vanished, the sleeping bag is tangled around you. You weakly lift your head again and another set of hands grabs your face, preventing you from slamming your skull into the floor again.

"Shit...Sh-she's bleeding." One Sans says to the other, you can't keep them straight anymore. _Breathe harder._

You cough and start panting fast and shallow, your eyelids flutter. "Fuck!" They both yell. You stay limp as the zipper to the sleeping bag is undone. The thick cover is thrown back and your arms are free.

_GO! GO NOW!_

You take a deep breath and stand, bolting for the door. The room tilts sideways and your shoulder slams into the side of the passage. _Don't stop!_ You hear them chase after you as you shove into the door and you somersault onto the rough path.

"FRISK!" You hear one of them yell before you roll into a small pond and quickly sink. That far too familiar pressure fills your chest and you fly up out of the water, coughing hard. Sans is shaking when he pulls his hand to him and you are pulled into his arms.

He falls to his knees on the ground, cradling you in his lap. He winces when he touches the back of your head and it comes back bloody. You cough up more water. Sans shakes his head and stands, turning back to the path.

"I won't...let you." You start, you can't let him go through with his plan. It sounds good but...something feels deeply wrong with it. All choices essentially stolen from everyone. With only one timeline directly under his control, he could take the willpower from every single person and monster. He would wipe out any deviating timelines as they appeared.

Mistakes are what make life worth living. No mistakes, no real choices...what a hollow existence.

"Hush." He says harshly.

You struggle in his arms when you see the gray door. "No, Sans!" You try to yell but your voice is weak. Sans growls. "Stop it! You're going to hurt yourself again."

"You can't control me! You can't control everyone!" You rasp, still pushing against his grip. He looks down at you angrily, baring his teeth. Sans sets your feet down and holds you upright with his right arm. He signs something rapidly with his left hand and you feel your body go limp.

"I should've just done that to begin with, but I hate to." He says as he lifts you in his arms again. You can't move, it takes so much effort to speak. "D...oon't."

Sans closes his eyes a moment and sighs in frustration, his jaw clenches. "You're going to behave this time, whether you want to or not." A chill runs down your spine. "I'm not going to let you die."

You can't move, but Sans isn't walking very fast. He seems to be trying to keep you as still as he can manage. There's only a moment or two before you're back in the gray room. You close your eyes and try to find your DETERMINATION to reset.

"Don't do it Frisk, I'm going to remember." Sans warns.

You try anyway.

****

*Reset?

*YES!!!!   No

****

 

You feel the slightest tingle of a very familiar pressure in your chest. "Sans...?" Your voice trembles, your heart is frantically beating like a trapped thing.

"I can't let you do that. I can't let you die again." Sans tells you, his eyes narrowing when he looks back up at you. You start breathing harder when the pressure begins to quickly build. He could forcibly take you anywhere.

"Don't do this." You plead. Your hand grips the bread knife and a small jolt of energy runs through your arm to your chest.

Sans scoffs. "Are you going to fight me if I do?" A dim halo of red circles his eye. You swallow, your throat suddenly dry. "I don't want to. But I can't let you...I have to do this alone." You stop yourself before you spill the beans.

For a moment his eyes widen, but then he smiles. "Ah, so that's what was different. Something felt off."

He takes his left hand out of his coat and casually balls his fist. You gasp as your feet are firmly planted, an only slightly uncomfortable pressure is pressing on your shoulders holding you in place. "You tried to go back pretty far, hoping I wouldn't notice."

You don't know what to say, you wish the other Sans in your head would help again. _Too...much...Tired...._ Is your reply. You think at the voice, hoping he can hear you, and reassure him that he helped a lot already.

"So what are you going to do?" You ask after a few minutes of strained silence. "Are you really going to force me to stay out of this?"

Sans glances away. "I don't see any other options, I won't let you kill yourself again."

"What if...we reset the multiverse and keep this timeline in its own bubble? I can make the next incarnation of myself young, and she'll keep the timelines of that new universe balanced." The idea forms as it leaves your lips, it sounds better than you expected. You could keep Sans and still save the underground but end and repair the damage to existence.

The pressure lessens on your shoulders, but your feet are still frozen in place. Sans looks back at you. "I don't think there would be enough magic in all the souls in the world to maintain that kind of dual existence simultaneously. It would collapse and we'd be scattered in the void, everything would end."

You groan in frustration. "Why would that be impossible?"

"Because it's too unstable. Multiple timelines are only stable because they are based around the same, consistent events. When you start changing things too much it disrupts the layers of reality co-existing in the same time and space. Every timeline is so close you could see them all at once with the right kind of technology or magic. They only exist without bursting into one another because of the similarities tethering them to each other. When you reset too much, kill too many people, or cause too much pain it will tear and flood the other timelines to maintain the stability of the multiverse." This time the explanation is a little clearer. "If you try to maintain two starkly different realities at the same time, the layers will tear instantly and destroy each other because there aren't enough common events to tether them together."

His shoulders sag a little, the halo dims around his eye. "And anyone who attempts such a thing is erased from time and space."

"Is that what happened to..." You can't remember the name, its on the tip of your tongue.

"Dr. Gaster? Yes. He tried to create a new universe filled with only monsters as an alternative to co-existing with humanity. He didn't have the power it took to maintain a new universe and keep it stable enough for monsters to live in without succumbing to the collapse of it." Sans sighs sadly, a little more pressure is lifted.

"He, along with a few others were taken, yet I can only remember his name. I...don't even remember when it happened. Asgore was the only other monster who remembered him aside from me. Not even Alphys remembers." He shakes his head. "I don't like talking about him, and now you've got me monologing  like a bad villain."

You laugh dryly at his bad joke and he smiles a little but it quickly fades.

"No, the only way to be sure everything is fixed is to do this myself. I shouldn't have waited so long to step up, but I haven't felt like anything I did could actually make a difference for an incredibly long time."

"Is that really a fix though? You'll be taking away all choices from everyone forever. If there's no deviation, there's no free will."

Sans shrugs. "That's not what's happening. I'm erasing all timelines but this one and letting everyone live. I alone will have the DETERMINATION powerful enough to reset, and I won't use it. And you won't be able to either."

Sans' eye sparks and you're pulled to your knees by the force in your chest. You wince and his face falls when you take minor damage. "I-I didn't..." The mild constriction is lifted and you sit back on your legs. Your heart is pounding as your hand grips the bread knife tighter.

Memories race behind your eyes, images of sprayed blood and dust. You begin to breathe harder, your arms shaking. A small weapon in your hands, a blue and yellow eye. That deep well of darkness in your soul starts to bubble. The lust for violence, the thirst for torture. Those oh so delicious screams of agony.

This feeling... So familiar, so...invigorating. Adrenaline is sprinting through your veins. A wild laughter is echoing in your mind. It's not the other Sans. No, he's fallen very still, retreating from the thing that's crawling back to your awareness.

Sans runs to you when you don't stand and slides on his knees. "Frisk? Say something!" He says, grabbing your face in his hands.

You slowly lift your eyes and Sans freezes, his eyes go black. "Frisk?" You whisper. But it doesn't sound like you anymore.

*You want to fight Sans

What? No you don't!

"Run!" You scream as your arm twitches. The terror you're feeling doesn't come out in your voice, you howl with laughter baring your teeth in a sadistic smile. Sans surprises you by easily dodging your arms' involuntary slash.

The knife sinks to the hilt in the dirt in front of you, you're stretched out on your hands and knees. You look up at Sans through your hair. That unsettling laughter erupts again from your throat. He takes a steady step back, his hands shoved in his coat again.

You're not in control anymore you realize in horror.

"Whatever gave you the idea that you were in control?" The words pass your lips. "You are the invader, not I." Your voice is raspy, deeper. Sans takes another step back, that familiar empty smile plastered on his face.

You sit back with a long sigh, looking down at your hands. You frown at the knife. "I do hope you kept my scythe, Sansy. This thing won't _cut_ it for what I have in mind." You stand without using your arms to balance, just rolling back on your heels. It's a smooth transition, not clumsy as you usually feel.

"That's not my name." Sans growls.

You make an uncomfortable face, one you aren't used to. It feels arrogant, like the way one would look at an annoying insect. "But you do have my scythe still." You say stepping closer to him. Sans is still, unable or unwilling to move.

Is this the real Karrin?

You laugh, it has an unsteady sound to it. Sans' smile falters a little. "Wow, you're slow. That's what weakness does to you, it slows...you...down." Your free hand touches Sans' face, sliding to the back of his skull. You harshly pull him close to you and put the knife against his collarbone loosely.

His eyes are still empty.

You sigh, tilting your head and letting your eyes wander over the tense skeleton. You tisk, tapping the knife blade on his invisible skin. "You've gone soft, Sansy." He flinches. "That's not my name." He angrily repeats. You laugh again, pressing the blade against his cheek and lightly slicing his skin.

The real you balks at the surge of adrenaline that floods your veins. You want to pull away, to run. But the urge to continue is too strong. You reach for your DETERMINATION trying to reset before you lost control.

You tilt your head back and laugh. A surge of amusement and relief floods you. "No, no, no, no...You don't understand at all, do you?" You sweep Sans' legs and support him with your free arm. His hands grasp at your shirt to keep from falling back and he glares at you with a snarl. It's like a disturbing dance. "This is my body again, all you can do is watch. And this skeleton was mine long before you had the courage to rely on the work _I_ had already done to seduce him."

Blood trickles down Sans cheek as he looks away. "That's right sweetheart." You coo, turning his face back to yours with the knife blade. "Karrin is back."

The real you wants to scream but this only makes Karrin laugh harder. She leans in and licks the knife. Sans' blood sparks with energy on your tongue, it tastes like cotton-candy.

Sans' eye flashes red. "The fuck she is."

You feel like your rib-cage has been crushed. Karrin laughs breathlessly, dropping Sans. He holds his left hand out. Her hand shudders with the effort but she brings the knife to your throat. "I'll do it again. And I'll come back and murder them all."

"Then do it." Sans says with a dark smile, lessening the pressure on your chest.

Her hand falters. "It will kill her too." She says.

Sans laughs. "I know. But even if she isn't as strong as you, she's more DETERMINED. She'll come back. Right, Frisk?" He winks his right eye and you feel your heart flutter. She growls at the feeling and scoffs, dropping the knife from your shared neck. "You've always been a sucker for me." She says with a wild expression. She dives at him and you scream. You hadn't even noticed that Sans had let his guard down.

The pressure returns and your body freezes inches from Sans. You can't breathe. Sans smiles, lazily curling his fingers into a fist. "This is so much easier, isn't it?" Karrin says. "To hate me again."

He reaches up with his other hand and jerks the knife from your grip, tossing it behind him. He shoves his hand out and you fly back into the wall of the passage, pinned there. Karrin laughs. "It is, isn't it? Admit it, you miss this. You miss me." She adds, the slightest twinge of desperation in her voice.

Sans stands and looks at you. He slowly steps closer, letting you slide down the wall until your feet touch the ground. You recognize that look in his eyes, its similar to when he's teased you before. A mix of lust, hunger and confidence.

Karrin breathes harder, a strange smile pulls at your lips.

He snarls, grabbing your chin harshly. A choked lustful whimper escapes you. You hate to admit it, but it kind of excites you too.

"I will admit one thing," He growls, leaning close enough to kiss. Karrin's breath hitches at the venom in his voice. "I only regret that I can't make you pay for your sins." Karrin chuckles, rolling her eyes. "Well yo-" Sans slams your head back against the wall. "I wasn't finished." he snaps. You bite your lip, toes curling in anticipation.

"I fucking hate you, with every cell in my body. I _loathe_ you. I don't have proper words to describe the level of hatred I have for you. Don't misinterpret my rage as sexual frustration." He adds the last line when Karrin shivers. Your heart hurts, you know it isn't meant for you but when he's snarling maliciously in your face it's hard not to take it personally. "And don't dare think that because I slept with you in those other realities that I harbor any kind of affection for you. I only clung to you because you were the only thing that never changed. Hating you is easy, its as easy as breathing. And it's nothing but hate. I will never want you, never love you, never crave your touch."

He shoves your chin back. Karrin is reeling, she struggles to find words. "You..."

"No, you don't get to talk anymore." Sans signs a few things with his right hand and your throat feels tight. Not like you can't breathe, but something is wrong. You can feel Karrin's uncertainty, the slight shiver of fear. She's never seen this side of Sans, she's far too used to having him hang on her every word. She'd forgotten he once was the most DETERMINED monster in the underground. In the brief change of heart you take charge.

Sans takes a step back, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "F-Frisk?" You nod earnestly, crying in relief that you have control again. A stifled laughing sob shakes your shoulders. "Oh thank God." His white pupils return and you fall forward into his arms as his magic releases you.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Before you can try to comfort him there's a flash of black and you're in a place you've never seen. A wave of heat almost steals your breath. "I have to go." He quickly kisses your cheek and is gone with a quiet pop.

You reach for him but he's nowhere. Everything is such a mess. You can't go back to Waterfall on your own and risk being taken by the darkness again.

For a moment you consider going back and trying to talk to Sans more in the passage before the cavern with the darkness. But you're scared of giving Karrin a second chance at keeping control of your body, and you're concerned about resetting too quickly and upsetting the timelines. You don't want to risk going back further than that and messing something up even worse than it is now.

Why couldn't you just fix this argument? You wish for a moment that you could just make Sans do what you want, but you quickly regret it. The world was so fucked up because your other selves had tried to do just that.

You angrily rub at your eyes when they sting. Why was this so difficult? You hadn't expected that kind of reaction from Sans, but were you really surprised? You knew he would catch on when Undyne spilled the beans, but you had hoped to be at least a full day ahead of him when that happened. You knew Sans was incredibly sharp and the self-sacrificing type, you had just underestimated his perceptiveness.

You gasp. Sans had left you so suddenly. What if he was going to go ahead to the king and just decided to leave you behind instead of stopping you?

Frantically you take out your phone and dial Sans. He can't go fight the king alone! The phone immediately goes to voice mail. You stomp your foot in frustration and try Papyrus, glancing around you to get your bearings.

There's a dim glow of...lava? below you. You grimace at the narrow walkways. This is definitely not the place to lose your footing. Papyrus groggily answers his phone. "H-HUMAN?" You hear him yawn. "WHAT IS IT? IT'S QUITE LATE."

You try to speak but nothing comes out. You reflexively grab your throat. Sans must've done something similar to what he did when he made you a rag-doll before you reset. "HUMAN? DID YOU ACCIDENTALLY DIAL ME?" You want to groan in frustration but you can't even do that.

You hang up and try texting, but the touch screen is sensitive and you're pretty flustered.

*Is sand tere

HUMAN? YOU ARE TEXTING? I DID NOT KNOW YOU DID THAT!

*Is Sans there? You try again, managing to navigate the buttons better.

NO HE IS NOT. HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO FIND YOU. IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?

You run a hand over your face and it comes back covered in sweat. They don't call it hotland for nothing.

*He is very upset. You have a hard time typing the rest. You can still feel Karrin deep in your soul, she is restless now. *Karrin came back, she's...contained for now.

WHAT?! WHERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU INJURED?

*No, I'm ok. But I can't talk.

*Can you please tell me if you see him? I'm worried. And I think I'm in hotland?

OH NO! I'M WORRIED TOO HUMAN.

Your phone buzzes in your hands. It's Pap. You frown at your phone but answer anyway. "HUMAN! I KNOW YOU CANNOT TALK BUT BE VERY CAREFUL IN HOTLAND! THE MONSTERS THERE ARE VERY STRONG, ALMOST AS STRONG AS UNDYNE AND MYSELF BEFORE YOU BEFRIENDED ME. BUT...I KNOW YOU CAN GET THROUGH THERE! DO YOU WISH ME TO ACCOMPANY YOU? I WILL HANG UP NOW AND EXPECT YOUR ANSWER!"

Papy hangs up and you laugh quietly at him.

*No I'll be ok, Pap. I'm going to go ahead and see if I can find him. I'll keep you updated.

OKAY HUMAN BE SAFE!!!!!!

*Always

You wipe more sweat from your forehead. Behind you you can see the dim light of Waterfall. Ahead of you a large white building looms in the distance, its roof pressed against the ceiling of the dark cave.

You remember the conversation with Undyne. Her friend, Alphys was the royal scientist. You hope the steaks in your bag have kept well and that you can still convince Alphys to be your friend. As you walk toward the building the path branches off to the left and right. The dim orange glow from the lava below makes it easy to see for a few miles in all directions. To the left, the path slowly rises. To the right it goes down into the dark.

You take a deep breath and keep walking straight to the massive white building. Your own courage fills you with DETERMINATION.

This surprises you, you've never convinced yourself to be more DETERMINED, but it makes you feel confident.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have this head-cannon of Sans, Gaster, and Papyrus being able to use sign language as a form of body-controlling magic. It stemmed from one of the fandom ideas that Gaster can't talk or is impossible to understand due to his font choice (wingdings) and will use sign language to communicate instead. Through this he discovered he could concentrate his magic and force people to do things, which the skele-bros found they could also do. A few other monsters know about this ability (and are rightly freaked out about it), but only one other can actually use it. 
> 
> Even in the Underfell AU, Pap and Sans don't like using the commands very often because they can backfire. For instance commanding someone to "stop" can make them stop breathing, commanding someone to "sleep" can make them sleep forever. The commands have to be precise or incredibly descriptive to do exactly what they have in mind and they both find this more of a nuisance to use than an advantage.
> 
> Gaster has a lighter touch because he's in the void. This is how he can command Sans and Frisk to sleep without killing them.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some mild torture in this chapter. Is that a thing? It's mild compared to some of the other chapters. 
> 
> This is going to be the last chapter for a few days. I'm going out of town and I'm all caught up with my editing. Working on the next few chapters currently and will post them as soon as I can. This chapter took about a week to finish, but I'm hoping the next few won't be so difficult.

The white, square, windowless building is much more ominous up close. It looks like its made of painted cinder-block, cracks travel up the wall. From the distance you could see where the roof brushed the ceiling of the cavern, from up close it looks like it stretches into the heart of the mountain itself.

There's a massive metal orange door that's riddled with dents and scratches. Most of the dents look like they've been made from the other side of the door, pushing out.

You slide the bag off of one shoulder and bring it around to your front, unzipping the large pocket filled to the brim with meat. You exhale hard, trying to steady your nerves and knock on the door.

You hear loud, pounding footsteps sprinting at the door before something crashes into it. The metal bulges out suddenly with a groan. You take several steps back. The loud snuffling of a large nose can be heard at the threshold. Whatever's behind the door gives a loud, disturbingly echoy shout. It would sound like a bark if it weren't so distorted and deep. You shudder when the metal groans in the door frame again.

"GET BACK! You useless lump of a dog!" You hear someone yell from inside. Her voice carries so well she has to be shouting at the top of her lungs. The pounding footsteps dance excitedly. "I CAN'T let you out if you DON'T MOVE!" You realize that she doesn't know you're there. You jump to the side of the door and run a few feet, hoping that's far enough to be out of her line of sight.

"I SAID MOVE!" She screams. There's a heart-breaking echoing yelp that overlaps into a chorus of whining. The door sparks madly, straining to slide open with the metal so heavily dented. You hear angry mumbling.

A sudden blinding blast makes you jump back and you're thankful you can't scream. The only sound in the aftermath is the wet plop of melting metal hitting the ground. A feminine scream of surprise makes you jump again, pressing yourself against the side of the building as a massive white behemoth of a monster barrels out of the melted doorway.

"Ugh, stupid beast. Go on, you too! Make yourselves useful and get out of my way." A few equally large monsters tentatively step out of the doorway, one ducks its bird-like neck to jerkingly step outside. Its head is larger than its body. You're frozen in horror as twitches its face to look at you. A deeply unsettling chorus of voices pours from its...beak? It blinks its one massive eye at you.

You're trembling when the others turn to look at you also. You hadn't paid much attention to them, other than the behemoth who had left first. There are two more, one that is as tall as the many-legged, barking giant. It has a soft appearance, no clear fingers, toes or mouth and butterflies flutter lazily around its face. And another with the body of a fish, muscular arms and a jagged face straight from someone's nightmares floating above its goo-dripping neck. The massive teeth look like they could easily tear you in half.

The restless darkness in your chest has retreated. These things repulse even the darkest parts of you.

You swallow hard when they all approach at once. Your mouth opens in a silent yelp of terror when the white-furred giant bounds at you, its echoes of excited doggy sounds are distorted and make you feel a little nauseous...and a little sad. What had happened to these monsters? You jump when it snuffles your bag and lowers what you assume is its head to nuzzle you. It leaves a wet, squelching ooze on your arm that drips from the hole where its face should be.

You shudder in disgust but the dog-monster plants its rear and trembles with what you assume is excitement. Its orifice still oozes. There's a nudge from your left and you spin to look at the soft-featured creature. Its head had multiplied somehow and copies are drifting quietly to the ground while the head still attached blurs and spasms. Its butterflies descend on its face and you aren't sure which is more upsetting, the borderline exorcist face-blurring or the ravenous butterflies.

The bird leans down to your eye-level and blurts an overlapping chorus of words. You can make out some of it. "Why...afraid...?"

You gulp and jump again when the dog-creature snuffles your bag again, its rear is wiggling now. You aren't sure what compels you to do it, but you reach out and lightly pat the creatures head. It immediately sinks to the ground and rolls over, its many legs stretching happily. You hesitantly pat the things stomach and it unleashes a surprising number of overlapping, contended dog sounds.

You laugh, feeling a little less uncertain and reach into your bag. All four of them jostle closer when you pull out the first paper-wrapped slab of meat. You start to unwrap it but the bird creature snatches it from your hands and tilts its head back, swallowing it whole. To avoid being accidentally injured you dump the bag on the ground and slide sideways out of the way as they all tear into the pile of meat.

Clutching the now empty bag you quickly realize your error. What if there are more of them inside? You have to confront Alphys and you wouldn't doubt she has many more of these tortured creatures inside.

You laugh this time when the massive dog nuzzles you, it wiggles joyously when you pat its head. Its the only creature that doesn't disturb you on a deep level, only on a mostly ignorable level. You guess this is because it's so affectionate and happy. The others look far-too-aware of their misery. They look up at you, the bird eyes you for a moment before it flaps its stubby wings and jerkingly walks away. The soft-featured monster lingers the longest, watching you pet the "dog" with an empty expression. It eventually turns to follow the other two, its butterflies following after it.

You make yourself turn from the dog and walk toward the melted door. It follows after you as you step over the perfect circle the blast had left in its wake.

The dog shoves into you at the same time a blinding white light flashes. You slide across the tile with an "oof".

"Hmph. Did you think I wouldn't notice you? You're dumber than I thought." The voice is arrogant, confident...it's kind of sexy?

You shove yourself up from the floor and take a few steps back reflexively. The monster you see has golden scales. You assume this is Doctor Alphys since she's wearing a lab coat. It's unbuttoned, revealing her torn, dark red tank-top and black mini-skirt. You're actually a little distracted by her bare muscular legs. So you look up.

Her face reminds you of a dinosaur, it has three spikes like a triceratops but she doesn't have a face horn. She has a small snout with straight, sharp teeth poking out. She smiles at you revealing more pointed teeth. Her right hip is cocked out to balance the massive gun she holds with both hands (which are heavily bandaged). Her legs are still braced to handle what you imagine is an insane kick from the boxy gun.

She's tall, stocky but its this side of curvaceous even though you notice she doesn't have breasts. Her glasses slide down her snout when she looks quizzically at you. After a moment she chuckles. "Uh, see something you like?"

Your face burns and you look away, mortified.

You barely have time to jump out of the way as the gun whirs back to life and she shoots again. "Hm, good reflexes. I might have to keep you for testing." She doesn't seem to mind the damage her gun does to her lab. You dodge a few more blasts before she tosses the gun to the floor with a bored expression. It bounces with a loud "CLUNK".

"Mattie, I'm done playing." She snaps her fingers.

A metal box with flashing lights, four arms and a single leg-like wheel rushes you from the darkness. You can't turn and run fast enough to escape. The arms extend and wrap around you, lifting you from the floor.

"Sorry..." It whispers when it pulls you closer. You jump at the sound. It's staticy and broken, sparks fly from the lights on its front.

"Shut up, Mattie." Alphys snaps, slowly sauntering toward you both. The robots arms flinch. "So, you're the human Sans was so worried about?" Alphys asks as you struggle in the robots vice-grip. You're feeling incredibly claustrophobic.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You...you seem uncomfortable." She holds a hand to her chest, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. You shift again. Her eyes narrow and she slowly smiles. "Good."

You realize she's taller than you expected when she has to lean down to be at your eye-level. Her left eye twitches as she viciously grabs your jaw. "You took my lovers. I don't share."

Your confusion is stronger than the sharp pain in your jaw. Lovers? She definitely saw your little act with Undyne, but who else was there...

Your heart drops to your toes, your stomach turns nauseously. Did she mean...Sans? No. No that wasn't possible. She had to mean Papyrus, right? You nearly gag. Ugh, that was pretty upsetting too. Those were the only monsters you were almost constantly around, there were no other options.

You feel sick.

She smiles at the look on your face. "Oh. Did you not know?" She angrily shakes your face. "They were mine first." Alphys snarls and shoves your jaw back as she turns away. The robot follows morosely after her. You get the feeling that if it had a face it would be downcast.

"You stole my experiment also. So many transgressions you have to right. I've been waiting quite a while for you to show yourself, human. I was rather disappointing the king got you first, but..." She sighs. "That is their right." The robot follows her into a corridor. You glance behind you as a massive monitor sparks near the door. You can't make out much before you pass into the next room, but the screen is definitely shattered.

You stop struggling in the robots arms and it loosens its grip. Its suddenly easier to breathe. "You aren't very talkative." Alphys adds. You notice a reptilian tail peeking out beneath her lab coat. Her hips have a strangely hypnotic sway...

You tightly close your eyes and shake your head. You had to get a hold of yourself. This was definitely not the monster to get "involved" with. She was terrifying.

You've stopped. You open your eyes to see Alphys leaning close to you, she takes your chin in her hands and turns your face. You're now in another open part of the lab. There are dozens of metal tables with leather straps. They remind you of autopsy tables.

On the far end of the room there is a massive skull hanging from the ceiling, what look like ventilation ducts are attached to it. The ducts curl into the ceiling. A bank of massive, clear tubes are pressed against the wall. A swirling, silvery liquid fills them. The same ducts are attached to the tops of these tubes. A huge monitor similar to the one near the entrance sits on the other side of the bank of tubes, its screen is black.

Alphys turns your face the other way and makes a curious sound. You make the mistake of looking up at her. You're actually thankful you can't make any sounds because your body tenses and your toes curl at the heat in her eyes.

She tilts her head and stands up straight again, releasing your chin. You drunkenly shake your head, heart pounding. What the hell was happening?

"Put her on a table." Alphys says, turning away.

Faster than you can see you're slammed on the table and strapped down. You're still dazed from Alphys' eyes. What was up with that?

She pads up, pushing a cart. She looks down at you and frowns. Still frowning she takes a scalpel and drives it into your thigh. Your mouth opens in a silent scream and you strain against the leather straps.

"Ah, Sans... Naughty boy." She chuckles and pulls the scalpel from your leg. "Human, look here." You pant, looking at her. She makes a few signs with her hand and the strange tightness in your throat is gone. She stabs with the scalpel again and this time you scream, your body arches against the straps as she drags the small blade down your thigh.

Your voice is ragged as you catch your breath when she drops the scalpel to the cart. "That's better."

"I didn't...mean to steal from you." You tell her, frowning at how cowardly that sounded. "I'm more offended that you were able to. Actually I'm angrier at Undyne and Sans for thinking they could spurn me for..." She gestures at you with an unimpressed expression.

Your stomach plummets like a stone when she mentions Sans.

"Oh don't make that face." She says. After a moment she smirks. "You really aren't that hard on the eyes." She adds seductively.

You close your eyes and get a hold of yourself. Undyne said to make her angry. You open your eyes again and give a little shrug with a smile. "Undyne certainly agrees." Alphys snarls and slaps you hard enough that you taste blood.

The robot, Mattie, gasps when you spit a mouthful of blood to the floor and laugh. "Come on, you should know by now that I can handle some rough play."

"D-don't antagonize her!" Mattie says fearfully.

"Shut up!" Alphys yells at both of you. She slams her hands down on the table on either side of your face. You're surprised you can keep your cool and you smile up at her. Maybe you can turn it on her? "Make me." You purr.

Alphys' eyes narrow, she leans back. "I don't play games, Human."

"That's not what I've heard." You sing, your feet tapping together.

"I see why Sans took your voice. You're rather annoying."

You laugh and shrug. "So these uh...transgressions as you called them, what can I do to make it right between us?"

Alphys stabs your arm with a pair of surgical scissors. A piece of Karrin bubbles up and you squirm. The sound that escapes you is disturbing, mostly pleasure, though the pain makes it louder. Apparently Karrin just wanted to fuck with Alphys because she immediately backs down.

You manage not to shiver in repulsion as you suddenly remember timelines where you seduced Alphys....so much blood and dust. She was almost as twisted as Karrin was, but you've never wanted her. Your eyes were always on Sans. She was just a pleasant distraction.

Alphys drops the scissors and shudders, biting her bottom lip. "Wh...whew." She laughs breathlessly, a deep golden blush has painted her cheeks. "That was...familiar."

You catch your breath, closely watching her. "I-I..." Her voice breaks. "I understand why they left." She adds, not looking at you. Alphys shakes herself before she turns back to you. "For that you are forgiven. Like I said, I don't share. However, you did some damage to one of experiments."

You frown, wondering if you've made any headway. "Oh?" You question, trying to keep up this weird persona.

"Yes." She continues, completely recovered. "You weakened my flower." She adds, lifting a large syringe from the cart. "Mattie, go get Flowey."

You gasp, unable to hide your surprise. "Flowey was...yours?" Mattie has left, squeaking and sparking.

Alphys glances at you and your heart skips a beat. Shit. That was borderline annoying. She inspects the syringe in the dim light. "Yes. He is." She sets the syringe down and picks up the surgical scissors.

You chance a glance to your left when you hear Mattie returning, but you don't keep your eyes from Alphys for long. She callously cuts your shirt open. Your heart races and your fists clench in anticipation of more mind-bending pain.

You try to hide your relief when she drops the scissors to the cart and she gestures Mattie closer. This time you see Flowey and you smile. The tiny flower looks dejectedly up at you. It's petals are drooping and pale. It's still in the boot Toriel gave you.

"Hey buddy." You breathe.

Flowey forces a tired smile as Mattie hands it to Alphys. "H-hey Frisk." It says as Alphys sets it on the cart. "I've been worried sick about you." You tell it. Flowey droops against the edge of the boot. Alphys frowns at you.

"The only way I can think to rectify this is if you revive my experiment to his full-potential again." Alphys says. "He's been like this since Sans brought him back to me."

"What?" You snap. Sans lied to you? Betrayal is a bitter taste. Was Sans really the one who did this? The thought makes your blood boil. "How?"

Her eyes narrow. "It was before he became yours. I know of the power you posses, human. I am not as attuned to it as Sans and Flowey, but I know you can bend time to your will. When Sans repeatedly killed you, you exposed Flowey to those 'resets' and you drained him of his weak DETERMINATION. You absorbed some of Sans' as well. He also had to recover."

"Flowey has DETERMINATION?" You ask.

Alphys nods, prodding Flowey. It weakly grunts. "He was nearly dead when Sans brought him. The DETERMINATION is all that keeps Flowey here alive."

"I...Of course. You want to take my DETERMINATION, right? To transfer it to Flowey? Do it." Flowey's eyes widen a little, Alphys' head snaps back to you. "Seriously?"

You nod earnestly. "It's going to make us square and it will save Flowey. Do it."

Alphys pushes her glasses back up her snout. "It will be excruciating." She tells you, reaching for the syringe. You tilt your head back. "It's okay. I'll survive." You glance at Flowey and smile. It slowly turns to you and smiles very weakly.

"You may not." She adds. Her eyebrows are furrowed as she turns to you. "If I take all of your DETERMINATION you won't come back."

You laugh. "Then don't take all of it."

Alphys laughs shortly. "I-I can't guarantee that, but I will try. We don't have a 'bond' but I can still make your soul appear." She leans in quickly and kisses you. You grunt in surprise, trying to pull away. Her warm tongue traces your lips and you melt into the kiss, your eyes roll back. Your body surges with a tingling energy and a sharp jarring sensation from your diaphragm makes you inhale sharply.

Alphys pulls back and you struggle to catch your breath. Your vision is fuzzy. "Recover yourself quickly, h-human." She tells you. You shake your head to clear it and your vision clears in time to see her gently cradle your red, heart-shaped soul in her claw. You shiver, clenching your fists when she grips it securely.

The needle presses into your soul. The agony is instant, intense and breath-taking. You can't even scream let alone watch as she slowly removes the DETERMINATION from your bare soul. Your body arches against the straps, every muscle trembles with fiery anguish that you didn't even know existed.

Something pops with a loud tearing sound. Alphys yelps when it happens again.

The pain releases you and you take a wheezing gasp. You cough and fall back against the metal table, shuddering and groaning with the echoes of pain rolling through you.

"A-a-are y-you alright?" A trembling voice asks.

You struggle to turn your head to see Alphys. Flowey is straining to sit up, it's weakly waving one of its leaves at you.

Alphys' free hand touches your face. Did she...get a little chubbier? You eventually manage a nod and she laughs in nervous relief. "You'll need some time to recover from that." She pats your cheek.

She turns to Flowey and very carefully pierces its stem. Its face is twisted in worry. "F-Frisk...?" You give a weak smile and chuckle. You watch Alphys intently as she depresses the plunger on the syringe. She'd filled over half of it with a glowing, swirling, multi-colored liquid.

You feel too weak to move. Flowey is tugging weakly against its boot. "N-no..." It pants as Alphys concentrates on the syringe. Flowey's stem begins to glow, the color is quickly returning to its petals.

"I'll be f-fine Flowey, don't worry." You tell it.

Flowey twists suddenly and slaps the syringe from Alphys' hands. "I said NO!" It shouts as the half-empty syringe shatters on the floor. Alphys growls at Flowey. "You IDIOT! Do you know how long it will take for her to replenish her DETERMINATION?" She snaps her fingers at Mattie. "You, salvage what you can."

Flowey snarls back before turning to you. "I wanted to die Frisk! I was finally near death and you ruinied it! Do you know what she's doing? Do you know what she has planned for me?" You gasp at the outburst. Flowey jumps out of Alphys' reach and onto the table. "She wants to kill the king! And she wants to use me to do it! She's done such awful, horrible things. Worse than the amalgamates."

"SHUT UP! You little shit!" Alphys throws herself over your table as Flowey jumps back. One of your arms is loose, the strap is torn. You get Alphys in a head-lock and yell, "Flowey, I need you alive to help me defeat the king!"

Alphys screeches, digging her claws into your arm. You pull your other arm free from beneath her and pull her back into a triangle-choke. It's something you remember from God-knows where, the motion is very familiar. Alphys gags, slapping and pulling at your arms.

"Flowey, take it. Take the DETERMINATION!"

Your head snaps back as Alphys lands a solid punch to your right temple. You didn't tuck your head behind hers properly. For a moment your grip loosens and she pulls free, gasping for air. "You sneaky little-" She's cut short by a loud gasp.

You pull at the strap across your neck and sit up to free your legs but pause. Mattie the robot has backed away from the shattered syringe, Flowey's roots have reached out and are quickly absorbing the shimmering, multi-colored liquid.

"N-no, not all at once!" Alphys yells. "It's too unstable!" She turns and starts pulling on your straps, slicing through them with her claws. You can't tear your eyes from Flowey. Something is very wrong with it. Your heart starts to pound as the little flower blurs, twitching harshly.

Alphys tugs on your arm, trying to pull you away but you easily slip from her grasp.

Flowey is still convulsing when you kneel beside it. A haunting flash of black seems to spastically appear around it, you can faintly hear a bone-chilling laugh.

"Flowey?" You ask, hesitantly reaching for it. You gasp in horror when it turns to you, a terrifying smile spills over its petals as it snatches your arm with a thorny, gnarled root. It digs into your flesh and you scramble back, pulling at the constricting root.

A second later the haunting shadow collapses into Flowey and the thorns recede. Flowey shakes its head with a groan and the root slowly curls back.

Your heart's pounding, you can see your soul dimly glowing from the corner of your vision. Flowey slowly blinks, looking back at you. "S-sorry about that...I...I don't know what came over me." You're frozen to the spot trembling. "Are...are you okay?" You ask after a long moment.

Alphys laughs delightedly behind you and scurries up. "Incredible!" She picks up a root and it twists away from her, all the roots snap back to Flowey, receding into nothing, and it glares suspiciously up at her. "You just absorbed enough DETERMINATION to level all of the underground." She claps her hands together excitedly. "How do you feel?"

Flowey's face looks like it glitches, for a split second you can see the horrifying, delighted smile beneath. "I feel _...fantastic..."_ It dives into the tile and appears across the room, the huge glowing tubes you hadn't paid much attention to are suddenly wrapped in vines. The vines crawl up to the ventilation ducts and pull hard.

You gasp as the shinning, silver liquid flows over Flowey. Its' roots somehow absorb it. It suddenly morphs into a pulsing, green blob that spreads over the tubes, the monitor and the ducts. It grows quickly, massive thorned vines fling themselves out, some go straight up into the ceiling.

You duck as tiles crack and fall. Mattie grabs both you and Alphys and quickly wheels you to safety as the vines rip the monitor from the wall. About a hundred feet away the robot puts you both down. You can't even thank him, you're transfixed.

Flowey has pulled the ducts and the massive skull into it, melding with the continuously growing blob. A strange, fleshy material has stretched over the now glowing ducts and the skull. The thorned vines have circled back, some twist around each other and slowly melt together.

You think you know why your other selves had killed Flowey so quickly. This was fucking insane. Why keep something around that had this ability?

You shake your head at that thought. Flowey was your friend. It was sill your friend. "Flowey...?" You breathe.

The blob stretches up, the screen presses through the cellulose and flesh and the pulsing slows. A simple face flickers onto the monitor, black pixilated mouth and eyes over a white background. The thick vines form arms and legs, the hands pound into the floor beside you, Alphys and Mattie hard enough to steal everyone's footing. It pulls itself forward to loom over all of you and you shiver as the face laughs. A high-pitched, booming maniacal laugh chills your blood. The sound rings warning bells in your recollection.

"Sh-shit." You whisper.

"A L P H Y S!" Flowey's new body turns to look at her. Alphys gapes up at the screen, her eyes darting over the impossibility of Flowey's new form. "How'd you know where the amalgamate souls were stored?" She asks, pointing at silvery ducts that have melded with its body.

Flowey doesn't respond. The face flickers with static. Alphys chances a look at you before turning and smiling up at Flowey. "Kill her. She doesn't have enough DETERMINATION to reset anything and if I keep her to drain DETERMINATION, she'll just reset."

You turn to Alphys, wondering for a moment why you're surprised at her betrayal. You had to have seen that coming. You feel like an idiot for thinking you could sway her so easily. "What, can't kill me yourself? Coward." You spit.

She shrugs arrogantly. Mattie growls in anger at her. Flowey's screen face frowns, it blinks several times. "You still think...I'm going to help you?" Flowey laughs again before easily back-handing her through the wall. Alphys doesn't make any sound.

"SHIT!" You scream in surprise, scrambling back. Mattie grabs your torn shirt and pulls you back with him.

Flowey turns to you and smiles, the screen flickering to show a staticy, screaming face. "I'm not going to hurt you, Frisk." It says sweetly, reaching for you with its other vine-hand. Mattie pulls too hard on your collar and your torn shirt slides off your arms. You fall back on the cold tile and Flowey scoops you close.

"Leave her alone!" The robot yells.

Flowey growls, its face glitches again in rage when it looks up at Mattie. It flings a thorned vine at the Robot. You twist in its grip and reach for Mattie. "Flowey, DON'T!" You scream. Mattie stands his ground but the vines stop before they reach him.

You turn back to Flowey. Its face flickers on the screen, it glitches between a sad frown and a twisted smile. "Flowey..." You whisper, patting its massive green hand.

The face on the screen smiles broadly. "I would never hurt you, Frisk. I just want to keep you safe. And maybe kill Alphys..."

You manage a smile for Flowey and gently pull on the smooth claws holding you. "Then let me go, Flowey." You tell it, ignoring its comment about Alphys. One step at a time, right? A pained expression flashes across the screen and the hand immediately releases you. You hit the floor with a small "oof" and look up at it. "Sorry. I..." Its eyes close, the monitor flickers between screaming black and white faces and a sad frustration.

"It's...really hard to think clearly."

You pat a spot between the thorns on its arm and smile. "It's okay." You see a flash of movement from your right and gasp. "MATTIE NO!" But the robot has already launched itself at Flowey.

You rush forward to stop him but Flowey swipes its thorned arm harshly and you both fly across the room.

You slide to a stop on the tile on your back. It's hard to take a full breath. Beside you Mattie's boxy body sparks. You reach for him, one of his arms is broken, the light panel on his front is busted and sparking. You hear Flowey shout in shock across the lab.

"Y-you okay, M-Mattie?" You ask.

The robot chuckles, its voice cracking. "I-it's Mettaton." He tells you. For some reason you smile broadly. Flashes of a positively ridiculous fight flash behind your eyes (throwing poses, dancing and lots of quiz-show-like questions) and you give a strained laugh. "Could you do me a favor?" Mettaton asks as you hear Flowey yelling again, it sounds angry. Mettaton's voice sounds...scrambled. That's the best you can describe it. It's garbled and staticy.

You hear a high-pitched whine followed by a crash. You assume its a blast of some sort. You try to sit up and immediately lay back on the floor. There are thorns embedded in your chest and arms that didn't hurt until you saw them.

For a moment you close your eyes before turning back to Mettaton. "What is it?" You ask him. He struggles to roll, revealing a sliding switch on his back. "My switch. This form is-isn't going to last much longer." You hesitate... something seems off about the request.

"You can't...fight it."

"Darling. I won't be-" He spasms as he short-circuits before falling limp to the floor again. "I won't...be doing much of any-anything soon regardless."

You wince as you reach forward and shove the switch sideways. Your arm falls back as Mettaton's body shudders, steam explodes from his seams. Something snatches you, dragging you across the floor by your waist.

You look up at Flowey's face. The screen flickers again, between a worried grimace and nothing. "You keep jumping in the way." It says, curling its body around you protectively as the same high-pitched whine from earlier sounds again. Smaller vines quickly pull the thorns from your chest.

"For being so strong, you're so fragile." Flowey says, not even flinching as you see a blinding white light flash behind it. You hear that crashing sound again and feel Flowey's body take a blow, but its face doesn't change. The light fades and you can hear someone panting behind you two.

"Here, I don't need all of this." Flowey reaches back and grabs a duct, tearing it from the ceiling. A silvery haze flows lazily from it. You protest, trying to escape its grip. "It'll heal you, don't worry."

"No, no, no, no!" You know what its planning and you don't want it. Flowey's still smiling when it stabs through your gut with the duct. The pain steals your breath away. The metal has torn into your flesh, the squirming, white-hot energy inside slams into your body. You feel like you're on fire, every cell burns. Your vision fades to black.

You faintly hear a war-cry, it's hard to decipher with all the horrific sounds now clawing at the inside of your brain. You can't find Karrin in you, even she has retreated. The Sans you shared memories with is gone too. You're alone in a sea of agonized, screaming voices.

Somehow you feel a hard slap across your face. Alphys is shaking you hard, she slaps your other cheek. "SNAP OUT OF IT!" She screams at you, her expression is horrified.

You scream in horror and scramble away from her before frantically patting your blood-smeared stomach. Your bra is soaked in blood. The deep wound is gone, completely healed. You're panting so hard you're wheezing, your entire body trembles. You can still feel them, writhing against your soul. You gag, nearly vomiting.

"Get them out." You tell her.

Alphys kneels frozen. "Wh-what?"

"GET THEM OUT!" You scream, snatching her lab coat. She angrily slaps your hands away. "I c-can't! They're a part of you now!" You actually vomit, Alphys groans in disgust and pulls away in time to miss getting coated.

"I don't want them!" You yell at her.

"To-too f-fucking bad!" She yells back.

You shudder and hug yourself, slowly beginning to rock back and forth. "You s-stop that, this instant!" Alphys yells. She snatches your arm and pulls you to your feet. "Absorb them. U-use them." She shakes you harshly when you begin to frantically shake your head. "STOP IT! Get ahold of yourself."

You sob.

"Now." She snarls. "Look at me, LOOK at ME!" She grabs your chin and forces you to look at her. "They are a part of you now. They're sealed in there with you. You h-have to absorb them to c-control them, or they w-will control you."

Your trembling resumes.

"Look what you let them do." She turns your face to the demolished lab, sparks of electricity rain from the ceiling where lights have been torn down. One of Mettaton's arms is still flexing on the floor. Vines and flowers are scattered over the floor, growing into the walls and crawling over the tables.

You gasp. Flashes of memory tell you its Mettaton lying still against the wall to your left. His new form has spiked hair and wings. Oil and pink ooze are leaking from his chest. Tears start pouring from your eyes.

Alphys turns your chin to face her again. Now you see the tears in her coat, the shattered lens in her glasses, the blood still trickling from her wounds. "You fought all three of us, Flowey burrowed into the ground. You h-have to control yourself because w-we can't k-kill you."

You whimper and close your eyes, sobbing again. "Flowey d-didn't think..." She sighs and pulls you close. You clutch her, crying harder. "Y-you want to s-save everyone, r-right? You have th-the power to n-now."

"They won't stop screaming." You tell her. You feel... Not unclean, but like something is wrong with you on a deep, cellular level. There's an immense weight of sadness, loneliness, emotional agony weighing on your heart.

"I-I know." She pats your hair, resting her head against yours. "Calm them." She says, rubbing your back. You struggle to breathe evenly and make yourself think hard.

_Calm down. I...I didn't mean for this to happen._

For a moment the screaming subsides and you laugh near hysterically in relief.

_PAIN...SO ALONE...save me...I CAN'T FEEL ANYTHING!...m-mommy?_

You grip Alphys tightly, your eyes go wide. The cacophony of screaming has become individualized. "CALM THEM!" Alphys yells.

_Everything's going to be alright! I promise! PLEASE! Please...stop screaming. Please just...calm down._

They listen. In the split second that they all stop yelling you feel a deep wave of calm wash over you. Your heart pounds as a small spark of energy ignites in your soul. It quickly blooms into a harsh, burning power that floods every vein, muscle and tendon. You cry out, your head snapping back as the writhing mass of misery collapses into your chest.

Then suddenly...it stops.

You can't believe it. You sag in Alphys' arms. She easily holds your weight. There's an incredibly welcome silence in your mind. You smile up at Alphys and she smiles weakly back. Her arms begin to shake with the effort of holding you and you both fall limply to the floor.

"Sorry." You mutter.

Alphys chuckles nervously and sits up, scooting out from under you. "O-oh it-it's alright." Your eyes snap up to her. She sounded different. She's pulling on her torn skirt, trying to cover more skin. "Oh Jeeze, w-why did I-I wear th-this today?"

You shove yourself up on your elbow to look at her more closely. "Alphys?"

She looks anxiously at you. "Y-yes?"

Your eyes widen and you smile. "ALPHYS!" You yell and hug her tightly. You remember her nervous demeanor, her love of anime, her deep insecurities, her core self. Alphys squeaks in surprise and hesitantly hugs you back.

"Y-yes. It-it'ts me." She sighs deeply. "OH!" She yells and pulls away from you. "Mettaton!"

You fall limp to the floor and enjoy the cold tile on your face. Exhaustion tugs you into sleep and you let it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alphys. Alphys was the reason this took so long to write. And I wanted to get describe Flowey's and Mettatons mannerisms and forms properly. Alphys is the one other monster in the underground who can use the sign language commands.
> 
> Alphys would be such a bad-ass if she were more confident. I have a head-cannon of Alphys being incredibly confident, to the point of arrogance in UnderFell. Which I think would lead to her being a very, very scary monster. *shudder* Like Shao Tucker from FMA. I also think that she would put more effort into her appearance and use her magic and research to make herself irresistible to others. Hence the sexy, scary Dr. Alphys in this chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy heck sorry for the delay. Work and other stuff got in the way. I also want to thank everyone who left a kudos! I haven't had the chance to thank everyone for that, it means a lot to me though, really!
> 
> From this point I'm tentatively going to say that I'll be posting weekly updates. Enjoy!
> 
> *There is some more torture. Rough intimate times mentioned but nothing explicit.

 

_Hey kiddo...you okay? Jeeze that was rough. I'm sorry I couldn't help, I'm surprised I'm still here. I know all you want to do is rest but we gotta get movin' again. C'mon, kid..._

You don't want to wake up yet. All you want is to forget everything.

 _Don't be selfish_. That same voice chastises kindly.

You roll on the hard surface, pulling the warm cover around you tighter. _Oh and uh...I wouldn't trust this Sans for a while. He's not...He's not acting like he should be._

You unwillingly open your eyes. The Sans you fused with hadn't revealed anything new to you. Your Sans was definitely acting weird. You could almost understand his misguided plan to save the universe. Multiverse. Whatever. But now that you knew he'd taken Flowey to Alphys and lied to you, you weren't sure what else he was hiding.

Your heart aches at the thought of his previous relationship with Alphys. A shudder runs down your spine. Maybe he'd been attracted to her because of her similarities to Karrin?

_Probably not the best time to mope. It's only going to slow you down._

You sigh, pushing away your self-pity. He was right. There's no way you'll get back to sleep now so you might as well get up. "I know." You say aloud for the voice in your head. Besides, maybe having nothing to hold on to in this timeline will make it easier to erase it?

You doubt it.

You sit up. You were lying on a hard futon mattress, no wonder you didn't sleep well. You don't see Alphys or Mettaton...or Flowey. It looks like you're still in the lab, but in a space you haven't seen before.

"I probably never should have trusted him." You sadly add. You shake your head and sigh, throwing your legs out from under the covers. You grimace when you see you're still shirtless and covered in blood. "Gross."

You tiredly run your hands over your face. After a moment of sitting in the near darkness you wonder how the new souls fused with yours have changed your "stats." You swallow dryly and hesitantly check them.

You hang your head in your hands and run your fingers through your hair and down your neck. "Shit. I... shouldn't trust myself either." Your HP, ATK, and DEF had all risen to ridiculous heights.

_The monsters were only a piece of that. Guess you didn't notice they jumped when we fused?_

You groan, curling forward before standing. "No." You answer, massaging your temples. You can feel the small scar from where you cracked your skull when you fell several months ago. Your arms fall dejectedly.

"So Sans is strong enough to absorb the King and the temmie-souls too?" You ask.

 _Unfortunately_. Is the very tired reply.

"I guess I just convinced myself that he was changed, or that he was at least trying to change." You continue to yourself, looking for a door. You see a set of stairs that lead down to the main level of the lab. You can faintly hear Alphys talking.

_He did try. I tried to change too. You probably shouldn't trust me either. I'm not the most stable monster in the underground._

You chuckle a little. "You're not the one talking to yourself." You say. He chuckles in reply and your mind goes quiet.

Alphys doesn't have her lab coat on and she's wearing sweat-pants with her red tank top instead of her mini-skirt. She's leaned over a sitting Mettaton, spot-welding something within his back. She smiles up at you.

"Mornin'!" She says brightly. Mettaton drowsily lifts his head to look at you. "Oh darling, you're a hot mess." He says sadly. You notice the right side of his face is black, most of his eye-socket is empty with bare wires showing through. He only has one working arm, the extra three are scattered in bits across the table beside Alphys. She's returned to her welding. Her lens is still cracked, there are bandages crisscrossing her arms, her face and her back.

"That makes three of us." You tell him, sitting stiffly in the free chair. Alphys smiles weakly at you before continuing. Mettaton laughs a little. "I'll have you fixed by the e-end of the d-day, Mettaton." Alphys says, slamming his back panel shut. Mettaton jumps.

"Sorry about that." You say, gesturing to Mettaton. Something else seems off about him, but you can't place it.

Mettaon waves his hand dismissively. "No worries, sweetness. We all have a meltdown or two. Just...warn me next time I decide to pick a fight with you or your flower friend."

"Th-there's a sh-shower downstairs. Yo-your bag is by the monitor." Alphys tells you, wiping her hands on a towel. You smile and go to grab your bag. "Oh, how are the um...others?" You ask.

Alphys jumps and throws the towel down on the table. "Th-they're back inside, safe. They sleep during the day." You nod and she turns to the table, working on one of Mettaton's least damaged arms.

You sling your almost empty bag over your shoulder and then you know what it is, the thing about Mettaton that had been bothering you.

"You...only have two arm-sockets." You say, pointing to his more slender chest. Mettaton chuckles warmly, holding a dainty hand to his chest. "Why, yes darling. When Alphys awoke me after the fight, I immediately knew she wasn't the same." He sighs and smiles at her. "I was so relieved that it changed me. I-I'm not sure why, but this just feels right."

You laugh and rush forward to hug Mettaton. He chuckles again, gently patting your back with his hand. He's softer than you expected, almost like he's coated in neoprene. He plants a kiss on your forehead when you pull back.

"All because of you, darling." He says with a smile.

You feel a blush burning your cheeks as you're filled with DETERMINATION. You feel some of the minor aches and pains in your body vanish. Alphys gasps and Mettaton laughs, pinching your cheek. "There, you look in better spirits already. But you're still filthy, sweetheart."

*

Alphys' shower is heavenly. It has a massive rain-fall shower-head and doubles as a small sauna, with a wooden bench tucked around the walls and a dial to control steam trailing up from vents in the floor. It takes a little while to get all of the blood from under your fingernails, but in this shower, you couldn't care less.

You sit on one of the benches after turning off the shower head, wrapped in a towel. A few moments pass before you ask, "You there, Sans?" but your mind is quiet. He had said it was tiring to talk when he helped you earlier, so you aren't really surprised. But his company was comforting.

You lean your head back against the warm tile. Your hair has grown a bit since you left the ruins. It brushes your shoulders now. You think about getting it cut...but realize you won't be around long enough to need it cut again.

The steam is making you drowsy and you didn't sleep very well last night. Before you know it you've settled into a deep sleep.

****

_"You're not Frisk." A callous voice echoes. "I'm Frisk. Though I shed that name long ago. I much prefer the name I gave myself, Karrin, after I consumed you. You're..." A haughty scoff. "You're Chara."_

_This feels familiar. You're beginning to hate how nothing feels new, everything has a twinge of familiarity to it now. You're hardly surprised at the revelation._

_There's a throaty chuckle that fades into a growl. "I thought when I fused with you, that your power had simply increased my own. For a while, I was stronger than I imagined possible. I underestimated your patience."_

_A scoff. "You gathered power when I killed them, slowly chipping away at my dominace until we shared control. And then you continued to chip away at me until you were the one in control. Now I am prisoner in my own body. I was so outraged when you refused to fight Sans." A weak echo of anger bubbles in your chest._

_Feels like heart burn._

_"That sapped all the energy I had left, trying to fight him again. These...things you've absorbed aren't pleasant. They cling to your broken soul like hot tar. They are disgusting and useless."_

_A bittersweet twinge._

_There's a long pause. "But do not think it was I alone who toyed with Sans. My actions were the only thing that brought you back to life after all, that had to have awoken some deep-seated desire within you. The murder. With your...spark" Karrin chuckles again "I was able to see across so many timelines, into different incarnations even. I was able to see into the twisted, dark parts of your soul too, Chara."_

_A sigh. "This dance always happens, you know. Everything is cyclical. We are born, we die, we come back and eventually our paths intertwine. Though this time...we both wanted him. He's the reason we keep coming back. Sans. He's too mysterious for his own good. It's always so inciting to us."_

*S H U T  U P

_You finally manage the energy to speak._

_"Oh? Look at the big girl panties on Chara."_

*You really just like hearing your own voice, don't you?

_"Well since someone has stolen my body, I have no other option to hear myself."_

*Frisk is good. You're not Frisk.

_A loud, blood-chilling laughter echoes in your head. "Frisk is led to boredom easily. Frisk is easily manipulated by the echoes of our ash-covered timelines. Frisk is sadistically curious. Chara begins her life full of hatred. Chara is shoved into the void for eons by Asriel and is eventually pulled back to existence by Frisk's murderous rampage. In a vain attempt to reconnect with your past-self you make an offer to Frisk, trapping her. You try to consume her soul for your own ends, but Frisk is too powerful for you and she takes control of you. That's...where I come in. I am the fusion of Chara and Frisk. Temperance and turbulence. Restraint and recalcitrant... The wonderfully DETERMINED being that takes its enjoyment in sadism."_

_She pauses again, seeming to gauge your reaction._

_"So... Without me, the world would be boring. It would simply...exist and then slowly fade."_

*Maybe that is what it was always meant to do.

_A groan. "Ugh, you're no fun! Let me take the reigns for a bit, huh? Please? It'll be sooo much better than this! I can show you all of Sansy's weak spots, all the places that will make him shudder in humiliation. You can even blame it all on me if you want." She purrs. "I wouldn't mind. I've been itching to be in control again, I swear I'd let you reset everyone after I was done playing."_

_An unsettling moan rolls through your brain. "I've reaaaaaally, really missed feeling all the ways Sans can hurt. You never do the right things to make him_ really _crazy in bed."_

*Ugh, stop it. If you could shudder, you would.

 _"Ooh! I know! Let me_ show _you how fun it was_ , _that should get your blood pumping again! Maybe even show you what you did to Flowey and Mattie?" A deep laugh like thunder rolling echoes before a flash of white light blinds you._

*You want to pull away, to wake yourself...but you want to know what Karrin has to show you more.

_**_

_You're laughing, clutching the knife to by your face in delight. Sans is strung up with rope, his arms tied over his head. (You really did appreciate the effort Alphys put into her lab, it had so many fun uses.) He's breathing hard and his legs struggle to keep him upright. You've never seen him so bloody, it makes you cackle again._

_"Oooh, Sansy you're so much more FUN now that you've got all that HP!"_

_He growls weakly at the nickname and you happily slice his already shredded shirt. He winces, he barely has the energy to pull away when you cut at him again, slowly dragging the blade against his chest._

_You sigh happily, roughly cutting the shirt away from his skin. He flinches at every nick. "I'm oh-so-glad you decided to play with me this time." His shirt falls in shreds to the dust-strewn floor. He stares darkly at you. "Come on...I know you had a little bit of fun, finally letting go. Just admit it already."_

_You run a hand down his bleeding chest before pulling it back to taste. You smile as he shudders in disgust. "Mm, just like cotton candy."_

_You laugh when he gags a little. "You definitely enjoyed the last dozen we cut down. I saw that look on your face. You really loved that feeling when your power got bumped up. That rush." He recovers, glaring at you again._

_"Can you feel them?" You ask, knowing just how to twist that imaginary knife in his heart. "Can you feel them, still writhing inside you in anguish?"_

_Sans' fists clench and he snarls up at you. Your heart races when both his eye sockets glow a dull red. "Ooh..." You breathe, slowly reaching forward to grab his chin. He turns away but you force his face back to you, digging your fingers in._

_You lean in and closely look at the faint crimson glow in his glaring eyes. "That's what I've been waiting for..." You drop the knife and shove him against the wall with your free hand by his neck, still gripping his chin._

_You know what this means, one of the most exciting things that can happen to a monster. And you finally pushed him over the edge._

_You kiss him aggressively. He grunts in disapproval...at first, but quickly melts into you, biting your lip hard. You laugh when you pull back, breathing hard as you wipe the blood from your mouth. Sans grins maliciously, licking the blood from his teeth._

_"I-I may not..." He pants. "be able to...control s-some biological...ur-urges...but don't think...for a second...that I'll let you...enjoy it."_

_He spits on the ground. "You taste...bitter."_

_You laugh at that. "You won't be able to help yourself." You wipe again at your still bleeding lip as he tugs hard on the rope. "Hate is one of those...unpredictable emotions that gets you monsters all riled up."_

_You laugh as you kiss him again. He growls, but you feel him shiver. You shove him against the wall and he gasps. Sans shakes his head hard, but the red glow doesn't fade from his sockets. In spite of himself, they glow a little brighter._

_"You weren't lying, you really do hate me. How amusing." You whisper as you pull one of your knees over his hip._

_He shudders when you grind against him._

_You can feel the slightest push of cool magic on your skin and you step back._

_Sans groans, but stops himself. He bares his sharp teeth and pulls hard on the rope over his head. You lean back, crossing your arms over your chest and watch him squirm._

_He eventually closes his eyes and leans back against the wall._

_"Bitch." He sighs._

_"Coward."_

_"Psycho." His head snaps up._

_"Weakling."_

_He growls again and shoves away from the wall. The rope jerks him back. "Did that hit a nerve?" You chuckle, slowly walking forward. "I_ fucking _hate you." He snaps. The rope begins to fray a little._

 _You smile, stopping with just a breath between you. "So sweet. You really think that's going to hurt_ my _feelings? Aw, you really do care."_

 _"I'll fucking_ gut _you!" He yells. The rope was going to give any second, just a little more..._

_You shiver. "Ooh, scary. I'll be sure that when you kill me, I'll play with your brother next time instead." You bite your bottom lip. "I'll definitely make you watch. You'll have to try harder if you want to keep him, Sansy."  
_

_Sans' eyes spark and he rips the rope from the wall, taking the bracket with it._

_You laugh and don't move as he rushes you, breaking his hands free. He takes the rope and loops it around your neck, jerking you close with a furious snarl. You breathlessly chuckle, halfheartedly tugging on the rope to loosen it. It's barely tight enough to choke._

_He's shaking as he pulls hard with both hands until you gag, coughing. Your head swims, you can feel your pulse throb in your brain. You smile at him as your hands grip his and tug tighter._

_His eyes widen and he drops the rope._

_Your head tilts back as you fill your burning lungs with air. You release a shuddering gasp and roll your head to look back at him, the heavy rope still hanging loose around your neck._

_"Again." You tell him._

_His breathing quickens and he quickly obliges. He lividly tugs the rope until your knees give out and you collapse against him. Smiling up at him, you catch your breath as you pull yourself upright once more._

_"Again?" He asks monotone, as he wraps the ends of the rope around his palms._

_You eagerly nod, holding yourself steady by gripping his shoulders._

_He bares his teeth when he chokes you again. Your toes curl at the look in his eye. He wants so badly to kill you, but he won't, he can't. He needs you alive. He needs you to keep a promise, to keep the deal you two made._

_You cough, your fingers digging into his shoulders when he loosens the grip and you wheeze for air. "Nnngh" You groan. What an intoxicating feeling. You look up at him again and nod. His eyes narrow and the snarl returns before he snaps the rope tight, forcing you down to your knees._

_Your eyelids flutter. If you could make any sound it would have been loud and lustful. When your head lolls forward to look up at him a sadistic smile has replaced the malicious snarl._

_You don't panic when you black-out. He wasn't going to kill you. Now he wanted you alive for a more basic need._

_...._

_You wake up with a deep throbbing ache in your skull. You blink rapidly and find Sans straddling you. You smile broadly when you feel the burn of rough rope on your wrists._

_His eyes are both still glowing a faint red. He smiles smugly down at you. "Since you did this," He gestures to his face and you give a haughty giggle. Sans growls and grabs your chin hard. "You, have to fix it."_

_You laugh in his face. "I know that's what you wanted." His tone drips venom. "It doesn't matter what I do, you'll still enjoy it, won't you? You sick fuck."_

_You squirm under him and he shudders, looking away. He looks back at you slowly. "At least I won't have to to be gentle."_

_**_

_You pull away from this memory and a cruel laugh echoes in your mind. You really don't like it. Everything about it was so incredibly disturbing. Your entire being feels...gross._

_"Aw...it was just getting interesting! You have no idea how long it took me to get him like that." A sigh. "It was worth it though. Best sex of my existence."_

*You shudder in the dark. Oh, guess you can shudder here.

_"Don't act like you didn't want to know."_

*You continue to pretend you didn't want to know, with a morbid curiosity, what happened after that.

_An echoing laugh. "Maybe you'd rather see something else?"_

*You really don't. What you want is to wake up.

_"Heh, too bad..."_

**

*You don't want this. You try and fail to pull away from the memories flooding you.

_You're stabbing someone in the back while smiling broadly at a horrified Sans. They had just turned to wave at him._

*You realize you can manage to pull away from the memories after a few seconds.

_You stare curiously at the bloody viscera in your hands. "Strange..." You say, looking down at a Sans near death. "Your organs aren't invisible, but your skin is?"_

*You want to vomit.

_Papyrus dies too easily to determine if his entrails are also visible._

*You want to sob.

_Sans is so committed to holding up his end of the bargain he'll do anything for you. Even kill his friends. Soon he's like an angel of death, quickly killing monsters in their sleep to spare them from torture._

_He doesn't know that you follow him and reset before he mercy-kills them sometimes, just to see his face when he finds their dust strewn across their homes._

_His hate for you grows until he snaps. His soul, his resolve, his very being finally cracks._

*You don't want this. You can't handle these awful memories. They have such a horrific familiarity. If you were really Chara, if you had tried to keep Frisk from doing these awful things by taking control of her. Why did you let her continue?

_You're surprised when you see Sans waiting patiently in the dark of the flower-pit. He has Flowey gripped tightly in one hand, it's been uprooted. It squirms pitifully in his grip, weeping quietly._

_Sans sits on a large stone, one leg propped up for support and the other stretched out. He smiles up at you, his left eye glows dark red._

_"Been waitin' a while, Karrin. I've got a few surprises for you this time."_

_You cackle in delight and he looks like he wants to melt._

_"Oooh, Sansy." You coo, stepping closer and stroking his face. His eyes flutter closed and he sighs at the touch. It's the first time he doesn't snap about the nick-name. "We are going to have such fun..."_

**

*Why...why did you let this happen?

_"Because you enjoyed it."_

*You don't believe it.

_"It doesn't matter if you believe in it. It's the truth."_

*What did you promise him?

_A loud, unstable laugh._

*What did YOU promise him?!

_"I-" Laughter interrupts. "I made him, hahaha! I made him a deal he couldn't refuse!" The laughter fades to an unnerving chuckle._

*You feel your very soul shudder.

 _"I told him if he played with me, by_ my _rules...I would give him his happy ending. That I would end it all, I would let everyone be happy. But first, he had to make_ me _happy."_

_The laughter resumes._

*You feel something that you've never called your own. Rage. Deep, burning, unstable.

_A surprised cry of pain._

**

You wake up on the warm floor of the shower. You sit up and immediately gag. Your stomach tries to vomit, but nothing comes up except bile.

Karrin's laugh echoes again. _Weakling._

You snarl before you retch again.

"Just because I'm disgusted, doesn't make me weak."

_Wrong..._

You again feel that rage that you felt in your...dream? You'll call it a dream. It makes your muscles tremble with the pure, venomous outrage you feel.

"You're done, Karrin. You're dead. N-never." You're so furious you're having trouble speaking.

 _N-n-never what?_ She mocks, though you can hear the uncertainty in her voice.

"You are no longer welcome. B E  S I L E N T... F O R E V E R."

You suddenly pant, breathing hard. Your body feels icy cold. There is a welcome emptiness to your mind. Still trying to catch your breath, you shove yourself upright and sit back on your calves.

Your arms tremble.

"What did I just do?" You wonder out loud. But there is no answer. Your stomach still churns from the deeply, deeply, horrifying things you saw.

Shaking, you stand in the shower and turn off the steam.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *random note. I re-discovered the song "I hate you" by Sick Puppies while working on this chapter and it fits Karrin and Sans to a T.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was done faster than expected. Lots of dialogue. Will probably be later this week that I update again. 
> 
> *Enjoy! ^u^

You're dressed and still shaking pretty hard. You sit and take a few minutes to calm down, hugging yourself. You feel like you've been taken for a mental joy-ride.

Mind-fucked would be a better suited term, you decide with a dark laugh.

You were Chara?

Why didn't you like that name? You had never liked it. It made your blood run cold when you thought about it. Who was Chara? Was any of Karrin's blathering-on true? If Frisk was the one who turned, why was Frisks' name so comforting?

It would explain why you couldn't remember back to the very beginning, why you couldn't remember much of anything and only in snippets. If you weren't the one who first entered the underground, who were you really?

Chara.

It still sent a chill down your spine. You chuckle dryly. Though it wasn't really _your_ spine was it? It was Frisks.

You reach back, you haven't done it this timeline but your other selves have, and try to remember something, anything.

A deep icy cold floods your veins and you pull back, panting. Warmth slowly fills you again. "Sh-shit." You whisper. There was nothing but that cold, cold darkness that you could see. You decide not to try again.

You sigh and close your eyes. There were so many questions you had, there was no way all of them could be answered. Everything was so confusing. You were filled with the miserable souls of monsters tortured by Alphys, the fractured psyche of a former life, and the recovering soul of a long-tormented monster.

And yet you somehow managed to retain your own moral compass and sanity with the constant hum of misery haunting you from all sides. All the things you've done, the things you witnessed, the things done to you.

You're feeling drained again. Everything was so exhausting. You curl forward, pulling your knees to your chest and resting your forehead on them as you hug your legs.

You laugh shortly. The only thing that was bearable, that made you feel like you were worth something was being around Sans.

No, that wasn't entirely true.

Snowdin itself felt like home, it was where you always seemed to end up in every timeline. It was a peaceful place, it put you at ease. The care-free residents, the gentle snowfall. Papyrus was the most encouraging friend you had.

But Sans... Sans understood you better than anyone. He knew exactly what you were, where you'd come from. There was a tired easiness you felt around him. It had the same aura of those happy elderly couples. Comfort built around years of standing together.

That's what it was. It was a deep understanding of each other that had been created by being so intensely intertwined across the timelines. Being around him was easier than breathing, even when he killed you.

You laugh harshly at yourself. You only tricked yourself into thinking you'd begun to build a good relationship this timeline. Just because it wasn't as twisted as Karrin had made it, didn't mean it was healthy. You had both lied, you were still trying to manipulate each other.

"I'm an idiot." You whisper, hugging your legs tighter. You'd let yourself be blinded by your desire. You'd become distracted by the intensity of the relationship with Sans, hoping it was doing him good while selfishly enjoying the attention he gave you.

Angrily you shove up from the cold floor. This was ending. You were going to get to the castle before Sans, and you were going to fix everything.

You snatch your bag from the corner and march upstairs to talk to Alphys.

*

"Oof, someone put on her war-face." Mettaton says with a smirk when you walk up to Alphys' work table. He's resting his chin lightly on the back of his hand, his other arm is fixed. The dark side of his face panel is missing, bare wires are still exposed where his eye should be, you can see the joints that form his jaw bone and teeth. He's pulled his hair back in a small knot.

You drop your bag to the floor and look at Alphys. She's tinkering with Mettaton's eye, holding it in the light and gently turning the mechanized pupil. Checking that it dilates and constricts smoothly.

Mettaton sits a little straighter. "Alphys darling..." He taps her arm and points at you.

Alphys blinks a few times at you. "O-oh. Wh-what is it?"

"I need answers." You tell her.

She gulps and sets the eye on the table.

"About Sans. About the king, Gaster, Flowey, your experiments."

She nervously wrings her hands. "Uh-uh su-sure."

"Do you have cameras in the castle?"

She nods.

"In the dungeon?"

Mettaton stands. "I need to recharge, I'll be upstairs Alphy." You can feel the tension growing as he leaves. Alphys looks down at the table. "Well?" You ask sharply. You're done playing around and you're running out of time.

The ordeal with Karrin had sapped your patience.

"Y-yes." Alphys answers with a small jump at your tone. "You and Sans watched me being tortured." You make it statement. "You have audio for them too, don't you?"

Alphys blinks rapidly, still not looking at you as she nods.

You close your eyes for a moment when your chest aches. That was how he knew you had begged for help for the monsters. You open your eyes and shove the pain down. "When he brought you Flowey, what was the plan?"

Alphys looks at you. For a moment you expect her to play dumb but she anxiously licks her liips. "The plan was to draw you here, harvest your determination and make Flowey strong enough to even the playing field with the king."

She looks away but makes herself look you in the eye. "We were watching the dungeon feed. We decided that if you were weakened it would be easier to force you to do what we wanted. When you called out for help, he...Sans just vanished. I haven't seen him since, not in person."

You narrow your eyes suspiciously.

"I s-swear its the truth. I don't know what caused that, it must've sparked something in him. He was pretty ruthless getting there. It was like he finally snapped. I thought he was going to kill the King right then but he ju-just walked right to the dungeon and got you."

You nod to yourself but don't let your hopes get up. "How strong is Flowey now?" You ask.

"D-don't you want to sit down?" She asks.

"No."

Alphys laughs nervously. "I-I don't know how strong Flowey is. It absorbed a massive amount of your DETERMINATION, I've ne-never extracted that much before. And the containers..." She shudders.

"Why are there monsters in liquid form stored in your lab?" You ask.

"I...experimented with DETERMINATION for the previous King. One of my experiments ended disastrously. The monsters I injected with DETERMINATION couldn't contain it, they c-congealed into new forms. You saw a few of them outside when you first arrived. They are my guards now, my warning to the other monsters to not cross the King."

Your stomach turns. No wonder they were so unnerving. "Not all of the monsters I injected could maintain a physical form after being injected with DETERMINATION. Many of the ones the king sent to me were too weak to morph with their companions." Her face has drained of color, it's a sickly pale yellow. "So I stored them in the tanks until I found... I kept them secret."

You have an awful, terrible, gut-turning idea... But you wait.

"How strong is the king? How many souls have they consumed? And why is the darkness it controls seperate from it?"

Alphys looks very tired suddenly. She sighs and leans her arms on the gear-strewn table. "Please, sit down, Frisk."

Now that name sends a shiver down your spine. You hesitate before sitting across from her. "Call me, Chara." You tell her. It's less upsetting than Frisk, but it still makes your skin feel cold. She looks up at you, her eyes search yours for a long moment. "That's not a good name to take."

"Good."

She gives a dry chuckle. "Y-you've always been so h-hard to read." She rubs the back of her neck absentmindedly. Your head tilts curiously. "You..."

Her hand falls and she smiles weakly. "Remember?" She shrugs. "Occasionally." A small blush tints her cheeks. "Had uh...quite the twisted ménage à trois for a while from what I can remember." She doesn't look up at you.

You don't know what to think about that. You're unsettled to learn that the number of monsters who remember you is growing.

"I-I don't remember much, only you were s-so difficult to un-nderstand."

You're tempted to pick her brain about what she does remember, but gray and red flashes behind your eyes convince you otherwise. You now know far too much about the monster in front of you. You shove back at the violent memories. Just because Karrin is now mute doesn't mean she can't still force you to see things apparently.

Great.

"Back to the king." You say.

Alphys nods, not minding the change in subject at all. "The king has twelve human souls, they already explained that much to you. I don't know how many monsters they've killed. A single human soul fused with a monster has the power to do drastic damage, but compared to what the king has it's like comparing an ant to a bear."

"Bullet-ants can kill." You say.

She smiles weakly. "The darkness..." She closes her eyes. "The king wiped out their own kind, the tems. They were a vicious, nasty group of monsters. Rather than trying to consume them once the current king absorbed their first soul and defeated the previous king, they captured the rest of the tems and sent them to me. They were curious what would happen if they were all exposed to DETERMINATION." Alphys sighs. "They gladly accepted my injections and willingly morphed into that thing."

You were learning so much that you didn't want to know today.

"The previous King?" You ask.

"I can take you to him." She tells you, standing from the table.

"What?" You scramble to follow after her.

"I saved him after he fought Temmie. He's never fully-recovered." She explains cryptically as she leads you back downstairs. "Asgore is his name. It's always been a mad dash to which monster can absorb the most souls and break the barrier first. He had six when Temmie challenged him. Even though we all expected Asgore to easily wipe them out, Temmie won. With their single human soul."

Alphys shakes her head. "They were faster than him, I don't know how." You go right instead of left, where Alphys' trashed lab and shower-room were. "He...he's quite a sight, so be prepared." She says before she opens a door with a badge in her pocket.

The door slides open and you walk inside a frigid room. It's pitch black except for a dim green light at the back of the room. It shines from the bottom of a tube similar to the containers you've already seen. The glass tube is like something from a bad sci-fi.

In spite of Alphys' warning, you're not prepared. A hand covers your mouth in shock. Suspended in the bubbling liquid is a massive monster, bigger than you've seen so far. He has IV's in his arms that are pumping a silvery-white liquid. One of his huge horns has broken near his face, the other curves over his head and flares back at his neck.

There are deep wounds on his face under his broken horn that still ooze dark red blood. His chest is a shredded mess, whole chunks of his right arm are missing like something took several massive bites out of him. His left hand has been torn off just below his elbow, bone still protrudes from the stump. His legs have been left relatively untouched except for a few groupings of parallel slices through his fur.

Now that the initial shock of his extensive wounds has faded, you see he is a goat-monster like Toriel. Only much larger and scarier. Beneath the still-healing slices and torn flesh he has old, puckered scars that part his white fur. He looks like he's sleeping.

You tear your eyes from Asgore and look at Alphys. "How long ago was the fight?" You ask her.

She shrugs tiredly, fiddling with the control panel in front of the tube. Asgore is easily five times her size. "A few years? Not many of us keep track of time down here."

"Why is he still healing?" You ask, looking back up at him. His viciously sharp teeth protrude from his snout.

Alphys nudges her glasses back up. "I w-wasn't trying to heal him until after you arrived. He's b-been in stasis since the fight. Sans...Sans thought if we kept him suspended in time until we could figure out how to heal him, it would be our best chance at saving him. Those wounds are fatal." She points to his chest. In the faint, bloody haze you can now see several metal handles that appear to have been broken off, poking through his torso.

"How does this keep him 'suspended in time'?" You ask.

Alphys shakes her head. "No idea. It's a formula Sans made."

You frown at the unsatisfactory answer.

"I realized I could use the monsters in my containers to heal him, the same way Flowey force-healed you earlier."

You shudder remembering the feeling of writhing monsters, unintentionally touching your stomach.

"How long until he's healed?"

"I wish I knew. He was so much worse before I started the IV's. He was missing his legs below the knee and most of his other arm was gone." Your head snaps to Alphys, but she's too focused on Asgore to notice. "Temmie was going to eat him, literally consume him. Sans saved him and it nearly killed them both. The energy it took to keep a time-bubble around them and get Asgore to me had drained him for weeks after. I doubt he's told you, but he used to be captain of the Royal Guard."

Your eyes widen. "For the longest time, he was my partner in the lab until Asgore noticed his fighting potential and basically forced him into the position. Temmie sacked him immediately because they could never kill him. Temmie is _petrified_ of Sans. The only reason the king is still alive is because he hasn't pissed him off. Well, " Alphys laughs shortly. "That's certainly changed. I bet Temmie is just beside themselves. Sans is impossible to kill."

Your mouth is dry. You know he isn't impossible to kill, but you've only killed him a handful of times across all timelines compared to the infinite times he's killed you. You doubt anyone else has ever succeeded in killing him.

"Papyrus easily took the position of captain, he's the only one, other than Sans, who can't be taken down by the darkness." She looks at you now. "I think the only mistake you've made so far, is changing Papyrus back to his core self. He was so much stronger before."

"You don't stutter when you feel confident about what you're saying." You tell her.

Alphys' eyes widen and she blinks at you.

"He may have been outwardly tougher, but he wasn't stronger. Everyone underestimates Papyrus because he isn't cruel, because he doesn't show off, because he's silly." You smile at Alphys' still flabbergasted face. Maybe she didn't even notice her stutter was gone. "He is just as insightful as Sans is, he could be as terrifying if he wanted to be. Trust me. But he chooses to be kind, that is just who he is at his core. "

"P-perhaps you're right." Alphys agrees. "We should leave him, he still has a long way to go to recovery."

"Wait," You say. She stops mid-turn to look at you. "Why are you bringing him back? I didn't think..." You fade out, realizing how harsh it would've sounded.

Alphys scoots her glasses up her snout again. "You didn't think we cared about each other? No, I could understand that." She looks back at Asgore. "We may have been vicious, but we had a deep loyalty to the ones we truly cared for. We each had a few. I had Matt- uh, Mettaton, Undyne, Sans and my King. He..." She looks down a moment. "He put up a good facade, the old scars actually came from his wife after their child died."

"He still had that s-spark of the other world. I think he...I think he remembered more than most of us. Th-there was rumor that the queen had left him because he killed their son." You gasp in horror. "There was no merit in it. He c-came to me, a man broken after his son died. He begged me to d-do anything to bring him back. At first I refused, but he threatened to kill me. You wonder how Flowey is sentient?"

"N-no...Alphys."

Alphys laughs shortly. "Yes. I used flowers grown in the ashes of his son, Asriel. Injected with DETERMINATION from the two human souls Asgore had absorbed at that point. The flowers...created a vessel for Asriel to recover in, but he escaped. Asgore resigned himself to the death of his only child after that. He became..." She gestures to the tube. "Using the full power of the souls he absorbed after that, he made himself look like the most terrifying monster in the underground."

"D-don't get me wrong, A-Asgore is a terryfing monster in battle too, he would be a help in y-your fight. If he recovers in time that is... But he never focused on really learning to kill. It just w-wasn't in him."

You both turn and leave the cramped, cold room. "Alphys, how much more of the souls will he need?" You ask her as she locks the door again.

She looks at you, her concern evident. She forces a small chuckle. "I s-suppose if he with his six souls couldn't take Temmie with their single soul, even if h-he heals completely, he would be practically useless." She's trembling now. "I w-would say h-he needs another day or t-two on the IV's. Th-that's less than a tenth of a container."

"How many containers are left?" You ask.

She turns, beckoning you with a shaking hand. You follow her to the trashed lab, passing the shower on the way. There against the far wall are five floor-to-ceiling tubes. Two are shattered and completely empty, one has a crack at the top and a pool of weakly moving liquid has formed at its base, another is drained but not shattered and the last is completely full.

"I'm going to assume you're using the full one for Asgore?"

Alphys nods and you step forward. You can't kill monsters to become more powerful, but you doubt you can face the king, the darkness and more than likely Sans without something more to help you. You have to plan like you're not going to have Flowey's help, because you don't know where he went or what kind of state he was in.

You stare at the white glowing liquid on the floor at your feet. It's disturbing to imagine them as individual monsters at one point so you shake your head and try not to.

"What happened last time?" You ask her, glancing over your shoulder.

"Y-y-ou..." She stops, swallowing and taking a deep breath. "You were insane, you kept screaming, your voice changed so many times. You threw Flowey against the wall there." She points to a twenty-foot dent in the wall where flowers and vines have clung to the cracks. "You ripped two of M-Mettatons arms out. He and I shot you dozens of times with my modified blasters, and you didn't even flinch. Y-you took the blast full-on."

She blinks rapidly. "F-Flowey was so upset he left. He just vanished into the floor. Mettaton and I fought you for...I don't even know. It was all," She holds a hand to her forehead, her eyebrows crease. "It was like it kept...repeating? Like deja vu. You were so furious. When you threw Mettaton against the wall and he didn't get up I snapped, I tackled you and I tried to kill you. I-I really tried."

Alphys is trembling again, she hugs herself. "I tore your throat open with my claws, I know I did, but then it was like it didn't happen. I choked you until you stopped breathing, but then I was staring at you just before I started choking. I-I broke your bones, I-I-I" She starts sobbing and you rush forward to embrace her.

She clutches you tightly. "I-I'm so sorry! I was s-s-o scared!" You hold her, shushing her and rubbing her back. "It's okay, Alphys." You tell her.

If you were still resetting yourself to before you died when you weren't even in control of your body, who was to say how much damage you really did? Did you need to take the amalgamate souls to win? Would it be worth it?

Alphys slowly calms down and you let her go. She looks uncertainly up at you, wiping her face beneath her glasses. You smile at her but it fades as you look back at the tubes.

You were going to need an incredible amount of power to dismantle and restart reality. Sans was planning to absorb Temmie and destroy all other timelines. The plan that your other selves had come up with was for you to absorb Temmie and the darkness, that would make you strong enough to reshape everything.

Your soul aches at the thought of fighting Sans, but just because he hadn't tried to stop you since the grey room didn't mean he was giving up. If there was one thing about him you were certain of, it was his stubbornness.

"Alphys I...I have to do this." You tell her. "I don't think I'll be violent this time. I'm going to welcome them, not reject them. But I don't think you should be here."

She shivers and quickly steps back to the doorway. "I-I'll wait h-here. I'm n-not leaving you."

You smile at that and steel yourself for what you're about to do. You hesitate before you touch the still wriggling white liquid.

You don't need to steel yourself, you have to let yourself melt. They want to be comforted, they want peace. If you invite them in with a hard heart they'll panic. They'll take control and... You shake your head and soften your heart.

You dip your hand in the puddle and shudder at the feeling. It's icy cold and instantly a miserable terror grips your heart. "It's okay." You say as the mass begins to crawl over your skin. "It's okay. I want to help. I-I need your help too. We-we can help each other. How does that sound?"

You clench your eyes shut when it leaps up your arm. You try not cry out in horror as you feel it press against your skin. You cautiously open your eyes when nothing changes. The puddle is no longer on the floor, but ballooned on your left arm.

You frown as it vibrates for a moment and then stops.

You swallow dryly when you remember it had entered through your gut before, and it had been attached directly to Flowey.

There's a shard of glass on the floor in front of you. You bend to pick it up and try to calm your pounding heart. This was all too similar to the darkness. But you were DETERMINED to do anything necessary to heal this reality.

You pull the hem of your shirt up over your neck. With a quick flash across your chest you slice yourself open. You groan at the pain and gasp in shock when the white mass eagerly dives under your skin. In flash of white your vision is gone.

You feel calm. The souls jostle inside you, they had heard your plea for help and were more than willing to accommodate. The feeling is unnerving but not upsetting. It felt similar to holding an armful of rambunctious kittens. Rampant, excited energy.

You barely have time to wonder how you absorbed them last time before your veins begin to burn with that white-hot power you had felt earlier. It fills you until you feel like you're going to burst and it still continues. You're overwhelmed with the energy, for a moment you're scared you're going to be lost in the ocean of voices.

And still, it continues.

The weight of misery you had felt before is lifted. Joyous, ecstatic, delighted feelings flood you.

Is this heaven?

*

You wake sobbing and laughing on your back. Alphys is looking down at you, hesitant to touch you.

You're laughing so hard you can barely catch your breath. This feeling is absolutely incredible. Your soul is shining vibrantly above your chest. The soft red light shines against Alphys face, catching in her glasses.

Alphys chuckles nervously at first, but it quickly fades into a happy sound. She kneels beside you and laughs with you as tears continue to stream.

After several long, happy moments you finally catch your breath and lay on the floor. You wipe your face and sit up.

You gasp when you see the tube you'd been standing in front of earlier is now empty, the one beside it is empty also. "D-did I...?" You ask in shock.

"It just poured over you. Th-the other one shattered and did the same. I-I thought yo-you died! B-ut then it just collapsed into you."

You pull the hem of your shirt over your head and smile down at your brightly shining soul. The long cut over your chest has already healed. You let your shirt fall and you carefully hold your soul. It pulses proudly in your palm.

Its so easy to breathe now.

"How many...?" You look at her.

Alphys' smile fades a little. "Th-thousands."

You can't differentiate the souls now that they are a part of you, but a tranquility and steadfastness has filled you. You check your stats...everything is maxed out. Everything.

_Holy shit, kid.. Glad you're on our side._

You laugh at the Sans in your head, comforted to know he's still himself in there. You're comforted to know that you're still the same.

You expected to be tired after that but you feel exhilarated instead. You smile almost smugly to yourself as DETERMINATION floods through you. Your soul pounds in time with your heart and slowly fades against your chest again.

You turn to Alphys, her mouth is open slightly in awe. Her bottom lip trembles and she throws her arms around your neck. "You really are going to save us."

"I'm not stopping until everything and everyone is fixed."

*

You sit beside Mettaton on Alphys' couch as she fiddles with a router behind the TV. Mettaton sits at the far end of the couch so he can continue to charge his new battery. A strange key-board sits on the coffee table, it has dials and a group of keys with weirdly familiar symbols etched onto them.

Mettaton sits poised, with his legs crossed while he quietly drinks something steaming hot. It looks like coffee, but smells like an engine. His repaired right eye is covered once more by his hair.

While you both watch Alphys finish connecting her TV to the security system you lean closer to Mettaton. "Why do you cover your other eye?" You ask him.

He smiles a little. "I'm still a performer, sweetheart. Even though I don't want to relinquish my abilities, not many would find this face" He flicks his hair away for a moment revealing the black face-plate and solid white eye. "as photogenic if I left it uncovered." He takes another drink from his mug and lets his hair fall back into place.

"Secretly, I'm a bit of a control freak. I don't want to rely on anyone else to protect me so I keep the perks Alphys suggested all those years ago."

Alphys sighs as she sits down on the couch on your other side. You're instantly uncomfortable with the closeness. Apparently the others are too because all three of you move to give everyone more space. Mettaton leans against the arm of the couch and Alphys scoots forward.

"Y-you sure you w-want to watch this?" Alphys asks uncertainly, her hands hovering above the keyboard dials.

"Yes. I need to see how Sans got the drop on Temmie. And it would be really nice to know where he is..."

"Well, I-I can show you most of the fight..." She says twisting a few of the dials and then typing. "Bu-but he knows where the cameras are. He-he's probably avoi-avoiding them right now."

That makes sense.

Unconsciously you slide to the edge of the couch when images flash across the screen. The screen is broken into sixteen sections, all with "CASTLE" in the lower right-hand corner of each tile. Alphys turns a dial and the monsters on the film move rapidly in reverse. Weeks quickly tick by until she turns the dial back gently, the movement slows.

Your heart is pounding. There's a black and white tile in the center, the image is staticky but you can make out movement. In the lower right corner it reads "CASTLE: DUNGEON" with a time stamp beside it. Your eyes dart to the other tiles and see Sans moving backwards through the Castle.

You don't see Alphys or Mettaton beside you anymore, the footage has begun moving forward again. You're focused on the measured steps of Sans through the castle. The tiles have shifted, Alphys centers the tile he walks through as he leaves one and continues into another.

The angles change and guards in black armor stand in front of a massive door-way. Though they easily dwarf him, Sans keeps walking calmly forward. Audio cuts in mid-sentence. "-ack now!" One of the guards yells, leveling his spear at Sans.

A dry chuckle you recognize. Sans doesn't stop, a jagged white skull appears above both of his shoulders and the audio rattles when they scream in unison. You cover your mouth with a hand as light from the blast fades and all that's left of the guards is their blackened outlines against the wall.

The door slams open and the GasterBlasters blip out of existence.

Sans continues onto the open walkway outside. From the angle on the far side of the path you can see the terrifying look on his face. You're unconsciously holding both hands, templed like you're praying, against your lips. His left eye glows a vibrant red. Monsters pour from the doorway beneath the camera. He gives a lopsided smile. A flick of his left hand and bones appear on all sides, he brings his hand down casually. He calmly walks forward as the glowing bones carve a dusty path for him.

That had to have been at least two dozen monsters he just destroyed. Maybe more. You feel a chill crawl down your spine.

The angle changes again. The judgement hall is brightly lit compared to outside. Temmie sits at the opposite end of the hall, their tail flicks patiently.

"Come for your precious hu-?!" Temmie doesn't get to finish their question. Sans gestures up with his hand and bones crisscross through their tiny body. He continues through the hall as Temmie coughs wetly, breaking away from bones. He is ten feet from them when the darkness appears. It swirls upright, preventing a clear shot at Tem.

He stops.

He laughs darkly as Temmie breaks free, falling to the floor breathing hard.

"She belongs to me." He growls.

The video ripples like a damaged VHS, the audio whines and Sans is gone. Temmie is encased in several layers of intertwined bones, they scream in rage and pain. The dark shadow of temmie-souls is stretched like tanning leather across the floor, pinned down throughout with dimly glowing red bones.

You watch Sans carry you through the judgement hall. The same terrifying expression from earlier is still on his face. How did you not notice that before? Why weren't you scared of him?

Even now you weren't afraid of him. You were afraid for him. You wanted him safe, with you, away from the numerous possible deaths waiting for him. But after seeing that, was there really anything to be scared for? He was obviously strong enough to take care of himself.

A blood-chilling thought crosses your mind. What if you had to kill him to reset reality? You had already considered having to fight him, but...killing him? Were you even strong enough physically to do that? Never mind the immense emotional damage. If he got to the king before you did and absorbed the dozen souls, there was no way you could stand up to him.

Alphys stops the video feed.

You blink, coming back to yourself.

The tiles change to Hotland, there are more cameras. "Y-you two show up in Snowdin after that. H-he isn't in Hotland, the Castle, New Home, Waterfall or Snowdin." She turns several more dials, flicking the screen between the different areas of the underground. There are numerous screens worth of cameras for New Home.

"Th-the king has been watching the ca-cameras too, waiting for him to come back."

You sink back against the couch, running your hand through your hair. Mettaton and Alphys look at you, concerned.

"That furry brat wouldn't stand a chance against Sans, darling." Mettaton says reassuringly, patting your knee.

"I know." You say, your mouth is dry.

"Then what's wrong?" He asks.

Alphys' concern has turned to confusion. You realize they don't know about Sans' fusion with the other Karrin. How could they?

Suddenly that thing that's been bothering you since before your talk with Undyne by the lake begins to bother you again. You stand, its easier to think when you pace. "Do you know who Doctor Gaster is?" You ask Alphys.

She frowns at the question. Mettatons' confusion only deepens. "I-I don't know that name." She tells you.

Sans said it was impossible to maintain two separate realities simultaneously, he also said his duplicate could take over as the main Sans when you were briefly confined to the grey room. His other self was gone after you left because they were both chasing you outside and only one could exist at the same time.

So how could it be possible to have a duplicate of yourselves in another timeline fuse with you in this timeline? That would be two selves in the same place and time. You understood that the multitude of timelines were overlapped, all happening at once and yet you only went down one path at a time. So there was only one of you really "existing" at once, just with differing levels of knowledge and sanity.

Following the bare-bones information you had, that would take an incredible amount of magic, power, whichever, to dissolve a single timeline and maintain the essence of your other selves and then guide them to your bodies to fuse to your souls.

You massage your temples. Ugh. This was complicated. This was impossible, but it was happening.

"What is it?" Alphys asks, standing now too.

"I don't think you could answer the questions I have." You say, running your hands through your hair again. "I think only Sans would know."

"What do you need to know?" She asks, stepping closer.

You shake your head. "I need to know who Gaster was." You turn the question inward. "And how he's so powerful."

Your doubt has drifted to include the pleasant man with the holes in his hands. You thought you knew Sans because you had seen the worst of him and snippets of other timelines. You were obviously wrong. You were more than likely wrong about your first impression of Gaster too.

_You close your eyes and struggle to remember the moments before you fused with the other Sans. His last thoughts before Gaster dissolved that reality were hope that Karrin would still love him. You push harder, diving inward through the vague, scrambled memories._

_You're sitting in Sans' workshop, at his desk staring up at his computer screen. You can feel your eyes struggling to focus on the lines, the endless stream of symbols and data at the corner of the screen is blurry and distracting._

_You rub your eyes. You're surprised to see bony hands a moment before your eyes close. Oh, duh, Sans' memories._

_You blink hard and your focus returns, the symbols are decipherable._

_"Show yourself, you devious bastard."_

*

You shake your head in surprise, taking a step back. You feel like you've been physically shoved.

Your fists clench in anger. Now fused Sans was hiding things? "Oh, I don't fucking think so." You growl, laughing darkly and pulling from the new well of souls in your chest.

Alphys takes a step back now, holding a hand over her chest instinctively.

You realize you're being more than a little scary and you don't care. You're sick and tired of being lied to.

*

_You're sitting across from...yourself on Sans' couch. Karrin. She's got her long hair pulled back in a thick pony tail while you both talk._

_She's frowning in thought. You've always known your eyes were a strangely reddish shade of brown, but they're a deep ruby-red in Sans' memory. It's startling. You wonder if they've always been that dark._

_"Basically you're saying we would have to..." She pauses, sighing as she runs her hands over her face. "To kill everyone. Again."_

_A feeling of uneasiness. He's uncomfortable with how easy it would be. "Not...exactly." He says. Wow, his voice sounds deeper to your ears than hearing it in his head._

_Karrin frowns skeptically._

_He takes her hand and squeezes lightly, giving a small smile. "That's if we can even reset after this and remember it. The more timelines we've lived through, the harder it is to remember every detail. Who's to say which memories will stay next time?"_

_She sighs, leaning into the couch. She closes her eyes. "I'm so tired of killing." He grips her hand tighter._

_"It's not...killing...exactly." He adds haltingly. "Yes, you would have absorb all monster souls after we defeat the king." She grips his hand hard enough that he winces. "Including yours." She whispers, she opens her eyes to look at you tearfully._

_He strokes the back of her hand with his thumb and reaches for her face. She leans into the touch and closes her eyes. He leans forward until their foreheads touch and he lightly kisses her. A small reassurance for what he's about confirm._

_"Yes, you would have to kill me too." He holds her tightly when she tries to pull away. "But it's what has to happen. That's the price we have to pay."_

_She shakes her head in his arms._

_He lets go of her hand and turns her face to look up at him. You can feel the grave expression on his face. When Karrin opens her eyes her face falls in shock. "You...made me a promise, a very long time ago. I know you remember it."_

_She begins to shake._

_"I expect you to keep it."_

_She closes her eyes and nods as tears brim over her cheeks._

_"At ANY cost, you will keep that promise."_

_Karrin nods again, sobbing and holding tightly to Sans' shirt._

_He can't help but twist the knife a little more, to drive the point home. "I killed my friends, my king, my only family because you gave me your oath that if I made you happy you would return everything to how it should be."_

_She pulls him close, crying hard into his chest. He closes his eyes, hating himself just a little for making her cry. It's like a tear-drop in an ocean compared to the self-loathing he already had._

_He holds her, resting his chin on her head and stares blankly at the wall in front of him._

_He would try and finally succeed in contacting Gaster tomorrow._

*

You're sitting on the floor breathing hard. Alphys is holding you upright. "Y-you co-collapsed!" She tells you.

You hold a hand to your pounding head and throw yourself back once more.

*

*Who is Gaster? You ask.

_"The last royal scientist." Is the dry reply._

*You know exactly what I meant by asking.

_There is no reply._

*I want some fucking answers, Sans! Tell me!

_"Or what?"_

*You don't know what you'll do...

 _"Exactly." He sounds exhausted. "Trust me, you don't want to know. Fuck, I wish_ I _didn't know. Just...keep going forward with the plan and we'll finally have a happy ending. The kind we all deserve."_

*...

*You told me not to trust you.

_"Then why bother asking me anything?"_

*You want to scream in frustration. Because I need answers!

_A crackling chuckle. "You...I trusted you to help us. You were my last hope to save something, anything! And you only made her stronger, more sadistic, more aware of her real power."_

*...you mean...I really am, Chara?

_"Bingo! You finally grew a pair and took over! You really are slow this time, kid. Think that fall did more damage than magic can fix. You were supposed to erase her, reign her in, God, ANYTHING would have fucking helpful! But you just made it worse. She already told you what happened. Actually...I think splitting my timeline from the others made her weak enough for you to take over." He laughs cruelly. "But shutting her up has made this whole ordeal worth it. Wish you could see her, she's so fucking pissed."_

_His laugh echoes harshly. "Oh what are you going to do, bitch? Bring it on. Oh? Oh you can't hit me? How weird. You can't do shit here you parasitic crotch-goblin. We're not fucking corporeal!"_

*You realize he isn't talking to you, he's talking to Karrin. His rage is unsettling. You're almost thankful you can't see them. But you're still curious. A part of you finds his sudden vulgarity humorous after a few more minutes of inventive cursing.

_"Oooh, angry gestures. So scared."_

_Silence..._

*What is even happening anymore...? You wonder.

_"I'll spell it out for you, because you've got more brain damage than a retired bare-knuckle boxer. What's going to happen is, you're going to go and fight the king and you're going to kill her. You'll take the 12 human souls and with that power you're going to take the soul of every monster in the underground. If you can get Asgore too, that'll just be overkill._

_Don't worry, they'll be willing to help you now that you're 'Frisk', they won't put up a fight. Well, Sans will fight but you can wipe the floor with him after taking those souls. And then you're going to concentrate all that energy and restart the world. I don't care how you do it because the next incarnation of you is going to get cut down the moment I see her, regardless of her age. I'm not doing this shit again. Is that clear enough?"_

*Your chest aches.

_"If I had my way, you would know more pain than anyone else in the history of the universe."_

*Yeah. You were pretty clear.

_"Good."_

*Was anything that happened real?

 _"You mean your little 'relationship'?" There's a small pause. "You know kid, there's so much bullshit clogging our souls at this point, I couldn't tell you what_ real _affection looks like anymore."_

*....

_"...there was definitely something. I'm not a total dick. There's really only one thing you can always count on me for. I'll never lie to you."_

*What about the times you lied?

_A dark chuckle. "Did I really lie, or did I just not tell the whole truth?"_

*

You're wheezing, it feels like your chest has been crushed. Alphys' face has drained of color. She pulls her hands back and she sits heavily on her legs panting. She gives a long sigh of relief.

Mettaton gently touches your face. "Could be a hell of an actress someday, we thought you died."

There's sharp, intense stabbing pain in your chest. You can't catch a full breath. Mettaton helps you sit up and you grimace at the crackling feeling in your rib-cage.

Alphys holds a hand to her chest, still trying to catch her breath. "Alphy did CPR, I believe some of your ribs are broken, dear."

A tingling sensation pulses against your rib-cage and you cry-out as a jarring "CRACK" pops bones back in place. Mettaton leans back, holding his hands up in surprise as you jerk your shirt up and gape in disgusted wonder as the visible bruising quickly vanish.

"Well...that's...something." You pant, glancing at both of them. You pull Alphys to you a hug, too busy processing everything that just happened to thank her.

****

You play with your phone, testing the new apps that Alphys had installed for you. The dimensional boxes made it much easier to carry your few things. But you missed your back-pack a little. Alphys said that Asgore would continue to heal, even without the liquid monster IV. But it would be much slower. She mentioned she wasn't sure if his human souls had been depleted in the fight or not but she would try to keep you updated.

You and Mettaton convinced her to get out of the lab for a bit and go visit Undyne. You didn't say it, but it might be the last chance she gets to see her this timeline and you wanted them to make up. You hadn't seen them together, but you could just imagine how cute of a couple they would make.

The walk to the castle will be long, and there were going to be hundreds, if not thousands of monsters to talk to on the way.

You slow to a stop. Glancing back you can't see Alphys' lab, looking ahead you can only see more of the same narrow path until it fades into the curve of the mountain.

You close your eyes and sit down. You try calling Sans again. He doesn't answer, not that that's really surprising at this point. But you wanted to try anyway.

You dial Papyurs. He answers immediately. "HUMAN! HAVE YOU HEARD FROM SANS? AND HAS YOUR VOICE RETURNED?"

You laugh. "Yeah, I got my voice back. And no, I haven't seen Sans. I was really hoping you had seen him."

"WELL...THAT IS SADDENING NEWS! BUT I AM GLAD TO HEAR YOU SPEAKING AGAIN!" There's a small pause. You start to talk but Papyrus unintentionally interrupts you. "Un-Undyne is here in Snowdin, she told me what you had said...about the king. We have not seen them as of yet, but we are as prepared as we can be. We're all on your side, Frisk."

You grimace at the name. But you don't have the heart to correct him. "Be safe. Please." You tell him.

"Are...are you continuing on? Have you already seen Alphys?"

"Yes. And yeah, Alphys is returned. She also has a robot friend, Mettaton."

"YOU MET METTATON?! ISN'T HE THE BEST?! WELL, I SUPPOSE HE'S CHANGED NOW TOO, RIGHT? IS HE STILL THE BEST?!"

You jump at Pap's sudden change of volume and enthusiasm. You laugh. "Yeah, he's pretty great. He changed too. Do you know him?"

"WELL. UH, UM. I WATCHED HIS SHOW ENTHUSIASTICALLY! I WAS QUITE THE METTATON FAN! I HOPE HIS REAL SELF WILL BE JUST AS ENTERTAINING!"

You frown at a vague memory. That's right, you fought him on his show. You laugh at the ridiculous fight, you had nearly forgotten it was televised.

"Well, I told Alphys to go see Undyne. Maybe you'll get to meet him soon?"

"THAT WOULD BE STUPENDOUS!" He pauses. "Oh, let me tell Undyne." You hear him tell Undyne that Alphys was on her way. Undyne screams shortly in surprise and you hear a door slam, either open or closed.

Papyrus chuckles on the line. "I'm sure those two will have much to discuss."

You smile at his warm tone. "Papyrus the matchmaker." You tease.

He laughs loudly. There is no laughter in his voice when he continues. "You know, human. I think you should know that I have not seen Sans happier than the few weeks you were here with us. I know he has not yet returned to his real self. I can only vaguely recall what he once was, or what the rest who remain to be fixed were. But I know he was happy here at home again, he was happy with you."

You have to blink away tears. You can't handle this emotional roller-coaster. You really want to turn back time just a few days and stay with Sans and Papyrus forever. You shake yourself. You had your chance at that ending and you ruined it, far too long ago.

"Thank you, Pap. I needed to hear that."

He chuckles again. "Good luck, human."

"Thank you."

"Oh, before you hang up. I don't know what you're planning once you reach the king. But I feel the need to remind you that we, all monsters, we are on your side. We will do anything to help you. Anything."

The line goes dead.

You stare at the phone in your hands, deeply unsettled by his words. His offer along with the very direct plan laid out by the fused Sans make you shudder.

_I don't lie. I told you they wouldn't put up a fight._

"Shut up." You snap, standing up. "Or I'll do to you what I did to Karrin."

_Heh. Think that trick will work on me? I know other ways to get your attention, kid._

You're tempted to ask what he means but you decide not to antagonize him. As harsh as he had been today, he had been pretty helpful before now.

"Why did you get so bitter today?" You ask as you dust off your jeans.

_I didn't expect you to be able to see things I didn't want you to. And honestly, I didn't expect to retain this much of myself after fusing. I thought I would finally get to rest and you could pick through my memories without making me relive them too because I would be gone. I thought this Sans had a brighter outlook since he had you._

"Yeah...I thought all those things too."

_Basically...I'm tired, kid. I got no more patience left._

You sigh, your eyes close. "Same."

_This is the only way to fix this. It sucks, but its the only way to get powerful enough to erase and reform everything._

You nod. "I know. Doesn't mean I have to like it."

_You did uh...a good thing by takin' those souls Alphys contained. They're happier here. They can feel again._

This makes you smile a little. It was a small comfort compared to what lay ahead though. You start to walk up the path again. "Why didn't you answer my questions about Gaster?"

_Because I don't want to._

You groan a little in frustration.

_He wants to help. That's all I know about this current situation. And that's all I'm answering about him. Period._

You frown at that unsatisfactory answer (you were getting a lot of those today) but realize its the best you're going to get. You don't push him further. Your mind goes quiet and you try to focus on the path ahead of you.

You've made it this far, you can't give up now.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that answered some questions about things. Been waiting for a while to get some of this stuff actually INTO the story.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm awful at keeping timelines, bleh. I had really bad writers block for this chapter and I ended up starting another fic? >_> whoops.
> 
> I am in the middle of writing the next chapter so there *HOPEFULLY* won't be too much of a delay next time.
> 
> *There's mild torture in this chapter.

 

Sweat is pouring down your face. You keep angrily wiping it away, becoming more frustrated and dehydrated with every bead that trickles down your skin.

You're surprised when you don't encounter any monsters. You've been walking for hours and not a single sighting. After wandering through several puzzles without seeing anyone you chance a call to Alphys.

She doesn't answer. You groan in anger at the phone and try again. She had her damn phone, she just wasn't answering it. You feel guilty for interrupting her time with Undyne, but you really needed her advice on this.

_She doesn't like talking on the phone. Try texting._

You jump at the Sans in your head. You'd nearly forgotten about him, he was so quiet. You hang up and try texting the anxious, reptilian monster. It was a little unsettling to hear him again.

_*Alphys, I can't find any monsters in hotland. Where are they?_

You wipe sweat from your forehead again, licking your parched lips.

_*There aren't many there. A lot of them have moved to New Home or have been killed._

You frown in concern at your phone screen.

_*Killed?_

_*Yes. You carry many of them now, some were taken by the king and others were just too clumsy._

That didn't make you feel any better.

_*Where are you? She asks._

You glance around you, the rocks ripple in the sweltering heat behind you. The path only diverged to lead to more puzzles, there was nothing back there. You turn again and see a building in the distance. Squinting you can almost make it out against the shade of an overhang. You start walking toward it.

You weren't expecting hotland to be basically empty. Chills crawl down your spine in spite of the heat when you occasionally pass piles of dust. It hurts to see them abandoned, no one to lay their remains to rest.

But you continue.

Alphys said hotland was empty, but you didn't really want to believe it.

_*I can see a building, it's purple._

Your phone vibrates in your hand and you look down. _*Muffet's. Be careful._ She replies. You frown at the cryptic message. The name pulls a little at your recollection. A spider? You laugh a little to yourself as you keep walking.

 _What's funny?_ Sans asks.

"Little miss Muffet, sat on her tuffet, eating her curds and whey. But along came a spider who sat down beside her and scared little miss Muffet away." You almost sing the old nursery rhyme, smiling.

The silence in your head rings of confusion. "It's something kids say. It's a story, a nursery rhyme. Almost all of them are creepy or weird."

_Huh..._

"Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her father forty whacks, when she saw what she had done, she gave her mother forty-one. Probably the worst one I know. Um," You step around a rock, holding your arms out for balance. "Rock-a-by baby, in the tree top, when the wind blows the cradle will rock, when the bough breaks the cradle will fall, and down will come baby, cradle and all."

_What the hell? Ugh. Karrin really liked that one apparently._

You laugh. "Humpty dumpty sat on a wall, humpty dumpty had a great fall, all the kings horses and all the kings men, couldn't put humpty together again."

_Wow. Humans are weird._

"Jack and Jill went up a hill to fetch a pail of water, Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after."

_His head. He cracked his skull, and kids sing about it?_

You chuckle darkly. "Yeah, I guess we do? You should hear our fairy tales and bedtime stories."

_I think I'll pass, thanks._

"I think we do it to help kids make sense of death." You tell him. There's a long walkway ahead of you, the building is clearer now. Spider webs are woven tightly around the entrance. It looks like you'll get covered in webs if you try to go through it.

_I think you humans are too dark._

"Its easier to see the light when you're surrounded by darkness." You reply, tilting your head back to look at the large purple building. Webs spiral down between the walls of the mountain and the boxy, windowless building. There's no other option to move forward, you'll have to go through it.

_Quite the philosopher, Chara._

For some reason it's nice to hear him say that name. It doesn't carry the fear and chill that you felt when you thought it, or when Alphys said it.

You smile, even though the comment was snide.

You feel your mind quiet as you approach the entrance. "Do you sleep or just stop talking when you go quiet?"

There is no response. For whatever reason he didn't like being aware when you were fighting or interacting with others. It was probably difficult for him to see them again after coming from an empty timeline. Though it didn't seem as draining for him to talk to you as it did before.

You grimace and shove a hand through the layers of cobwebs. You shudder in disgust as the webs stick to your clothes, your skin, catching in your hair. It's more difficult than you expected. It's like shoving through a pillow, cottony and mostly solid.

Your sneakers get caught in the mess of webs and you realize you can't move any further. You begin to breathe hard and fast, unable to pull your arms from the silken strands. The webs snap tight around your body and you yelp in surprise as you're entirely cocooned.

Shit. Now what are you going to do?

There's a scuttling sound. From the webs flow a horde of spiders. They swarm over you, spinning their webs ever tighter until they spill onto your shoulders. You can't even shake yourself to get them back. As a last resort you huff, blowing at them with as much force as your lungs can muster.

"Stop it!" You yell as they rush over your face. You quickly clamp your mouth shut for fear of accidentally eating them.

A chorus of quiet giggles rises around you. Now you can hear the whispers.

"Did you hear? The human has been weakening every monster they meet."

"A human!"

"They want to take over."

"I hear they hate spiders! That they love to eat them!"

You frown angrily at these rumors but don't dare open your mouth to speak.

"I hear... That they've taken the soul of every monster in hotland."

"They're strong enough to overthrow the king."

The spiders begin to dart over your eyes, having quickly covered your neck and chin. You try to blink them away but they persist. "No! No please!" You beg, unable to move. The webs cover your forehead and you're blind. You flash-back to the dark of the dungeon, the darkness writhing, dancing through your veins. You scream in terror and struggle against the webs. But nothing happens.

Sight.

God, you just want to see. It's the only thing you can focus on. Please, please let you see again. Not the darkness, anything but the dark! Your heart is pounding against your ribs so hard it hurts.

You almost don't hear the cruel, quiet laughter.

There's a tearing sound and you sob in relief when your soul bursts into life, shining in the dark cocoon. It's just enough to ease your panic.

You force yourself to calm down, focusing on the light. You weren't in the dungeon. The darkness wasn't here.

You can feel yourself moving. Were the spiders carrying you? They've must've torn you from the entrance after wrapping you so tightly in the webs.

The motion stops and you feel yourself jerked upright. It's dizzying without being able to see.

"Don't look so blue, deary." You hear a gentle voice say before a dainty hand brushes your cheek as it tears the webs from your face.

You're so relieved to see again that for a moment you aren't properly surprised by the five-eyed spider monster smiling down at you. "Ahuhuhuh..." She chuckles, her shoulders bouncing. She has sleek black hair that falls to her waist.

This must be Muffet. She's wearing a black and purple corset with a matching pencil skirt and leather boots. The purple designs match her purple skin so well you wonder if parts of the corset are see-through. A chained choker sits snugly against her neck and connects to her corset. Two of her six arms are free, the other four hold two knives, a large kettle and a dainty tea-cup.

"I don't get human often. You'll make every spider very happy." She coos with another chuckle. She throws the contents of the kettle over you. You flinch in reflex but the purple liquid isn't hot. Enough of your head is free that you can look down.

Your souls' light had shone brightly enough through the layers of web that you could see it pulsing weakly. The purple ooze soaks into the web and constricts the cocoon tighter. Your breath leaves in a loud cough as your soul turns purple.

Muffet giggles, holding a tiny hand to her face. "I think purple looks much better on you anyway."

She steps forward and pinches your cheek. "Ahuhuhuh, you'll make quite the delectable delicacy. I imagine the king won't protest to treating my spiders to a feast before I hand over your soul."

You pull away from her, but don't get far. Just barely out of her pinch.

You hear that chorus of whispering again and she sighs. "That is true...I was offered quite a large sum of gold to deliver you 'unscathed' to New Home."

You don't need to ask who offered to pay her. "When did he leave?" You ask.

She quirks half of her eyebrows at you. It's a strange expression. She doesn't blink her eyes all at once, they blink in a clock-wise rotation one at a time. She shrugs her highest right shoulder. "Probably a few hours ago. He didn't stick around for any fun like he usually does..."

You can't stop the frown of disgust on your face. Jeeze Sans, was there a monster in the underground you didn't sleep with?

Muffet laughs loudly at the look on your face. "Oh child, you misunderstand me. Sans enjoys playing with my pet."

You're embarrassed that you jumped to conclusions. After all, he was his own person. And he certainly wasn't expecting to get Chara instead of Karrin this time. Though you aren't sure if he would've acted any differently had he known ahead of time.

"And I'm far too old to pursue one as young as him."

That piques your interest. 27 didn't seem very young, not old but not a child either. "He's young?" You weren't in any immediate danger, maybe talking with her for a bit would encourage her to let you go. You can't remember much of her in other lives, so she must have not been interesting to Karrin.

Muffet tilts her head, leaning her chin on one of her hands. Her other free arm tugs experimentally on the cocoon. She nods to herself and seems satisfied. "Yes deary, he's young. Too unruly, wild, easily excited." She smiles knowingly at you.

"I fought the humans before we were banished here, most of my brood was too weak to survive the trek through Snowdin and I had to leave them." She pauses sadly. Her smile returns as she brushes a silken lock of hair from her face. "I have lived many, many years. In comparison, he is a child to me."

There's more whispering. You see spiders begin to scatter over the floor, some crawl across you as they scramble to higher ground.

"And like a child, he has the energy to entertain my pet for me." Muffet turns to look over her shoulder. Your jaw drops slowly when the ground trembles and a gargantuan beast falls from the ceiling, landing on its feet.

Muffet giggles affectionately when the force lifts her off her feet. "How about a wager human?" She asks, turning back to you as you stare in fascinated horror at her "pet". It's thirty feet tall, it looks like a massive cupcake with eight spider-like legs. It's entire body is shaped like a cupcake tilted on its side, with the frosting forming its face. It has two solid black eyes and a vertical jaw that opens to bellow at you.

Your eyes widen as your hair whips around your face from the force of the roar. For a moment you stare at the monster after the sudden silence.

It scuttles quickly up to Muffet and she pats it a few times lovingly. It gurgles, melted frosting leaks from its jagged teeth.

"If you tire-out my pet, I'll let you pass safely. He needs the exercise. Sans hasn't been to visit in weeks and he's grown restless. If you're half as strong as Sans brags on, it should be no problem." She hesitates, but continues with a smile. "You're certainly as beautiful as he's described. Lets see if his word is true, either way I'll win. What do you say, human?"

You shouldn't be smiling as broadly as you are, but hearing that Sans' was telling someone you were beautiful was enough to make your heart flutter.

Muffet claps her hands delightedly. "Excellent! I'm pleased to see you so eager!"

Wait what?

The cupcake monster bounds at you before you can react. It tears you up from the cocoon on the floor and throws you into the air. In a moment of desperate panic as you begin to fall you reach into that well of power from the amalgamate souls.

Your head snaps back and your vision is stolen in a wave of white light. Air rushes into your lungs as you sight returns. You're casually holding onto a ladder made of twisted purple webs. For a moment you're confused.

Muffet is down below, cackling happily and clapping all of her hands together delightedly. "Sans is no liar!" she calls.

You've somehow burst through the cocoon, though strands of web still cling to your clothes. The cupcake monster circles the base of the wide ladder while you collect yourself. You jump sideways, out of the way of cupcakes massive jaws as it scrambles up the ladder.

"SHIT!" You yell, jumping up the next rungs to get away from it. It's faster than you could've expected.

Before you realize it, you've run out of room to go up and you hit the ceiling of the lair. The monster leaps and you let go of the rungs. You drop under its belly, falling at a startling speed. Heart pounding, you grab at the "ladder" and you're surprised at how easy it is to grab onto. Your hands stick easily to the web.

Thankfully the webbing gives under your weight and you don't jerk your arms out of their sockets from the sudden stop.

You give a shaky laugh in relief and get your footing as the cupcake turns to face you again. Confident in your new grip, you easily dart to avoid the monster. Below, Muffet is clapping and the other spiders are cheering.

You aren't sure if they're cheering for you or the cupcake.

After some careful evading you get cocky. You let the cupcake get close and then you drop under it's belly, before climbing up ahead of it and starting the cycle over again. You dive sideways and realize you can roll on the sticky webbing without falling.

You can see why Sans would have fun doing this. It's just enough danger to get your adrenaline pumping but safe enough to survive without any damage.

You don't know how long you taunt the massive cupcake before it dejectedly drops to the floor once again.

It flops like a dog in front of Muffet and she cheerily pets it. It whines and tries to catch its breath. Your soul pulses and returns to red. Your casual grip isn't enough to hold onto the web anymore.

Your foot begins to slide and you step away from the web. A dark part of you resonates with excitement as you fall to the floor, a hundred and fifty feet up. The rush of pushing yourself near-death is a new feeling this timeline. But it stirs familiar desires as the air tears at your clothes.

Wasn't there a term for the dark urges people have? Some french term you can't quite recall. The translation was The Call of The Void...

You land hard, your knees bending to take much of the weight. Dirt flies up around you dramatically. You feel more than a little cool as you stand upright, flicking your hair away from your face.

You took 4000 damage from the fall, but it's like shooting an elephant with a BB-gun. Nothing you couldn't handle. The rush from the fall fades, taking with it the echoes of dark desires.

You feel a little guilty when the energy in your soul overflows and your HP leaps back to its max. You should be more respectful of the power the monsters gave you. They only agreed to share it and not overtake you because you said you would help.

The cupcake is snoring when you approach Muffet again. Your steps falter, her appearance...she changed. She's still lovingly stroking the cupcake, but it's much smaller now.

"Th-that was all it took for you?" You ask, breaking into a smile as you rush forward to see her better.

Muffet chuckles warmly. "Ahuhuhuhu..." Her hair is fluffy and shorter, pulled back in two cute pony-tails. Her bangs frame her face but leave the vertical eye in her forehead exposed. She's wearing a red shirt with puffy, almost comical pants.

"I suppose there are things about this world I still have left to learn. Watching you dance with my pet," She smiles warmly at her snoozing cupcake. "It brought me so much joy. I was overcome." She clasps two of her hands together happily.

You're tempted to hug her but resist the urge when she suddenly shivers. "Oh-oh my." She holds a hand to her chest and another in front of her to stop you. "You...you are quite strong. I did not notice this..." She shivers again. "Energy earlier."

You take a step back and she composes herself. "I apologize human. That was, that was very rude of me." Her cupcake has stirred itself awake and it gently bumps her leg. She absentmindedly pats it and looks back at you.

"I am a monster of my word." She smiles. "You may safely pass, but...can I ask you something?"

You nod.

"How... Why are you helping us? You have this immense power, you could easily rule us as we were and have our loyalty, our respect."

You don't like how easily she noticed your stats. "I'm helping you because you all deserve to be happy. No one deserves to live in fear and anguish." You feel a smile pulling at your lips. "I want to make everyone happy."

Muffet gives a weak smile. "Good luck, human."

When you step out of Muffets lair the heat has finally relented. You sigh in relief. This was so much better.

What came after hotland? You wrack your brain. It was...the core? Then New Home, then the Castle was up snug with the barrier. No, no. It was New Home, then the Core was inside New Home before the elevators to the Castle.

This was going to be a hell of a walk if there weren't any monsters left in New Home either.

**

You're breathless, shaking on your feet when you reach Mettaton's tower. God you were exhausted, and not even having the monster souls and maxed-out stats could help you. According to your phone you've been wandering for a full 40 hours.

You're so dehydrated your lips are swollen.

You'd gone through your food and drink reserves soon after you left Muffets.

You'd gotten turned around more than once in New Home. None of the monsters you met were helpful, most ran from you. The ones that talked to you pointed you in the wrong direction.

Eventually you had to use the knowledge of previous timelines to get anywhere. You stagger forward. There's a shop in Mettatons. You just have to make it there.

You urge enough energy from the equally tired souls in you to get through the double doors and make a bee-line straight for the shop. You think you hear Sans say something about letting them recover, but you aren't sure.

There are painters and decorators bustling around the lobby, but you ignore them.

The tabby-cat cashier working behind the counter eyes you suspiciously when you slam the door open and hold yourself upright by gripping the metal handle and locking your elbows. He doesn't bother putting out his cigarette. His ears flick back in annoyance when he sets a black and red paper-cap between them.

"I need...something to drink."

He gestures to the stool in front of the counter and turns away. Your eyes roll back and you fall face-first to the floor in exhaustion.

*

A harsh slap across your face wakes you. "Not a damn hospital, buddy." He chuckles when you blink hard, struggling to focus.

"If I wanted to be doctor I wouldn't be flipping burgers for a livin', kid." He says as he urges you upright in his lap. He pulls long puff from his cigarette and takes it from his sharp cat teeth. He exhales away from you so the smoke doesn't roll over you. "I probably wouldn't be smokin' either."

You're both sitting on the floor of the shop. He puts the cigarette between his lips again and reaches up and grabs a sweating bottle of soda from the counter and hands it to you.

You can't help but snatch it from him. He jumps but laughs when you start chugging the gloriously cold carbonated ambrosia. He stands and walks behind the counter. "You should drink water if you're that thirsty. The soda will do alot, but everyone needs water."

You pull the drained bottle away from your lips and gasp for air. He leans over the counter, stretching to hand you a large bottle of water. You take it from him and start chugging it too. It isn't nearly as good as the soda, but your parched throat thanks you.

The bottle crackles as you drain half of it before pausing to catch your breath again.

You're astonished at how fast your body absorbs the liquid. Suddenly your mind is clear, your lips are no longer swollen. You feel like you just slept a solid ten hours.

"Soda's somethin' special, ain't it?" He asks, taking another puff on his cigarette as you pull yourself up from the floor. "Some mix that the royal scientist made." You look at the bottle. 'Rejuvi-Cola'.

"Terrible name." He comments when you frown at the label. "But it works miracles for hang-overs."

"I'll take a dozen." You tell him. He nods and rings it up, along with the bottle you chugged and the water. "Anything else?" he asks around his cigarette. "Uh..." You don't know if you'll need food, but you didn't know there was still a limit to what you could do until you passed out on his shop floor. "Some food? Anything that heals alot quickly."

He nods and adds more to the total. You chug the rest of your water when he turns to grab everything you bought. Again, its like the liquid is almost instantly in your veins. It's disconcerting, but really handy.

You look at the label on the bottle to see how long the effects last. Your stomach turns when you read the ingredients. It had diluted DETERMINATION in it. You knew exactly where Alphys got that DETERMINATION.

Can't change it. Might as well use it for a good reason. Sans tells you dryly.

You can't really argue with that. Especially when you were having a hard time staying DETERMINED on your own lately. They would be good to keep your energy up.

"Gettin' ready for somethin' big, kid?" His tone is so similar to Sans' that you look over your shoulder, half-expecting to see him behind you.

You turn back to the cashier. He looks from the counter crowded with your items to you pointedly.

You force a small laugh. "Yeah."

"It's 12,000." He says.

You hand over the gold and he shakes his head. "Damn. I hope it ain't anything bad, but it sure pays well."

You smile weakly and open your phones dimensional box app. The food and drinks fill all of one and most of the other.

"Good luck, little weirdo." He says as you turn to leave his shop.

You take in the lobby of Mettaton's tower when you step out. Everyone kept wishing you good luck. It was getting creepy. Like they all knew what you were up against.

The painters were stripping the ghastly red and gold decor from the walls. For a moment you see the lobby in brighter colors. It's a flash and gone.

Exhaustion is creeping up on you again. It feels more mental than physical now. You tap your phones app and pull out a Rejuvi-Cola. You sip this one as you turn to the far doors. The soda is jolting. You can see yourself easily getting hooked on this like people do with coffee.

You check on the souls. You've drained a quarter of their energy reserves.

*Don't worry guys. We don't have much further to go. Then we can all finally rest.

The back-door of Mettaton's lobby leads to a bridge that reminds you of TRON. The floor looks like a giant circuit board with multicolored lines traveling through it. A ripple of light will pulse through the lines every few seconds.

"The core." You breathe. Your heart begins to pound harder.

There was no time to stop again after this. You had to beat Sans to the king. You hope he hasn't made it there already.

The path splits, at the fork there's an elevator door. You walk up to the elevator but it's out of order. Something tells you to head to the left of the fork. You've drained your cola by now. Your muscles are jittery with the forced energy. It probably wasn't healthy to drink two back-to-back but you don't care.

Any pause was a second too long. There was too much at stake. You pass through the left door onto a hazy, windswept walkway. Lights flash dimly in the thick mist on either side of the path. This reminded you of Blade-Runner. "Much Sci-Fi, very nerd, so geek, wow."

You're losing it kid.

You laugh and it sounds unstable. Something stirs in your chest and you know it's Karrin. You're too mentally drained to push her away. Images flash before your eyes. She cut down monsters here, but she never wasted her time here like she did in Snowdin. She always pushed straight through from Mettatons Tower.

The images flash again, almost like she's showing you the spots you need to avoid to stay away from confrontation.

Was she...helping you?

You shake the thought away and clarity returns to your mind.

"Sans? Can I get to the end and...and not return all the monsters to normal?"

There's a long pause, you're ready to assume he's not going to respond when he gives a hesitant reply.

_Yeah... I can't say how willing the monsters will be when you get to...the point of you needing their help. But we shouldn't waste any time. The quicker we get to your Sans, the better. But you already know that._

You take the wordless advice from Karrin and using the vague map in your mind you make your way to the elevator to the next level up.

It's hard to see through the rolling mist. Occasionally the wind gusts up hard enough that you're thrown into the railing on either side of the walk-way. One time leaves you breathless with the impact. You unintentionally lean over the side as you wheeze for air. Your ribs ache, but you quickly recover.

You look down at the swirling mist.

"What's down there?" You ask.

_Just keep going._

You gulp and push yourself back, one hand grips the rail tightly as you continue through the maze of glowing floors. You think you see shadows in the mist but you ignore them. Your muscles ache in a way you've never felt before. Every step burns. The dark shadows are growing closer.

You shake yourself and pull yourself forward by the rail.

How long has it been since you slept?

45 hours? 50? You were probably just hallucinating from sleep deprivation.

You're stumbling again when you finally reach the elevator. Karrin had guided you safely here. "Oh thank God." You breathe, leaning against the wall. You close your eyes for a moment and when they snap open you've slid to the floor.

Your eyes burn, it's hard to focus.

_GET UP!_

"I'm...I'm trying."

_Try harder._

Your muscles tremble as you shove yourself up. Your knees are wobbling and you brace yourself on the wall to drag yourself to the elevator. Each blink makes you sag closer to the floor a little more.

 _You can't give up!_ Sans urges.

Your face presses against the cold wall. Its refreshing on your skin. You smile. If you close your eyes, it almost feels like you're holding Sans again. His skin was smooth and cool like touching a window-pane.

You laugh, taking another step.

"Hey Sans?" He doesn't say anything so you continue. "Wh-what did...no...why did the house call the Doctor?"

_Why?_

You sputter laughter and shove away from the wall, slamming into the cold metal door of the elevator. "Because it had window pains!" You snort and hit the 'up' arrow beside the door.

_Heh...good one, kid._

You can hear the elevator hum to life, the vibrations make your skin tingle. You gently push away and sway on your feet. Your brain feels...hot. It's a weird feeling, but that's the only way you can think to describe it. Your skin feels clammy and its so damn hard to focus.

The doors open and you stagger forward.

There's so many buttons.

A number flashes behind your eyes. You drunkenly hit the button with the same number and the doors slide shut. The upward motion is gentle but its enough to knock you off your feet. Your knees ache from the impact but you can't pull yourself up.

You just want to lay on the floor and sleep.

You shake your head. That heat is still sitting heavy inside your skull. The elevator stops and the doors open. You stare out at the gray wall for a long time before you muster the strength to haul yourself up from the floor.

Outside of the elevator you can see a short hall with a turn to the left. Your feet shuffle and somehow you make it to the turn. You keep telling yourself it won't be much longer. You'll seen Sans soon and you'll convince him to stop this.

You slump into the wall when you come around the corner. The hallway is so damn long. It's unbelievably discouraging. Your remaining energy is sapped.

The souls in you are drained.

You slide down the wall to the floor, crying in exhaustion as you fall to your knees.

"I'm not...I'm not strong enough to do this." You sob.

_Stop it._

You can't stop crying.

_Chara, you need to get up!_

"Why? What can I do?"

_No you don't understand, you NEED to get up!_

His tone is different, desperate. You reach forward and try to pull yourself forward. Sans urging has filled you with DETERMINATION. There's a white flash behind your eyes and you fall to the floor again. You're so weak you can barely breathe.

You realize what's wrong and your stomach turns nauseously.

There's no way you could burn through that much power from just staying up a few nights. Your eyes narrow angrily.

"Karrin."

She wasn't helping you, she was forcing you to your limit so you wouldn't notice her sapping your energy.

You growl weakly in anger. You don't have the mental strength to push her back, she was a part of you. Or rather, you were a part of her. You were the body-snatcher. But you can't let her take control again, she willingly relinquished her body to you after all.

You gasp in realization.

That was your memory. That's right! She said she was willing to pay the ultimate price to restart the world. That was your power. You were stronger than her. You always had been. It was you, Chara, that had been the one to right the world after Frisk had her 'fun'. And that's all Karrin really was, Frisk with your stolen power and insight.

You smile and push yourself up from the floor with a groan. "Frisk." You growl and pull yourself upright.

A jolt of shock that's not your own.

"You had your chance, and you gave it to me." You speak through gritted teeth. Your muscles burn with the effort of moving forward. It's like something is shoving against your every move.

"I'm not letting you..." You reach deep into your brain and for startling moment you see her. Her long hair and torn sweater, her sightless white eyes are wide in fear.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING TO WIN!" You scream. "S L E E P." She falls back into the dark of your mind and you're staring at the gray hall again.

You gasp with the sudden rush of energy through your veins. You're panting hard as you stand shakily and continue down the hall. The amalgamate power has settled lightly in your chest again, but your body is still fighting back exhaustion.

"Welcome back guys, sorry I didn't notice sooner." You have to support yourself against the wall as you walk, but it's so much easier than before.

There's a turn up ahead, to the right this time. Your legs are strong enough to hold you without shaking now. You see an achingly familiar home when you reach the end of the hall.

"Oh...oh my God." Tears spill over your cheeks. The front has cracks running up the walls, green vines with yellow flowers sprawl over the entire surface. Your vision flashes several times, you can see your old home. The place you called home so very, very long ago.

You sprint up the shallow steps and inside. The vines are tangled, overgrown through everything. To the right where the bedrooms are, only one door isn't completely overtaken by vines. The first door.

Your room.

You're still crying when you run and slam into the door, flinging it open. You laugh in ecstatic relief. Your room is still the same as it ever was.

Well, except for the crying flower-monster sitting on the opposite bed. Flowey jumped when you burst in and then leaped up to hug you. Your stats are so high that the damage from his thorns is like a paper-cut.

Flowey still looks terrifying, it's screen face feels so bizarre against your head. "Hey, why're you crying?" You ask, hugging it tightly.

"I thought I killed you. I...I was waiting for the reset." You gently rub it's back. You frown when you look at the beds in the room. This was your home, but that didn't really make sense. Suddenly another memory sparks in your recollection.

"Asriel...?" You gasp.

Flowey is trembling in your arms.

"Oh, Asriel! I LEFT YOU ALONE!" You hug him tighter, closing your eyes. To make the pact with Frisk, she had to kill Flowey first to release you from his tenuous but impressive tie to the corporeal world. When you made the pact, it left Flowey with even less understanding of human emotion.

He would have been completely alone all these timelines.

"I'm so sorry, brother." You sob. He shakes even harder, gripping you tight to him. "So you do remember?" He asks. His tone sends chills down your spine. "You remember what you did finally, Chara?"

It's so hard to breathe in his grip, his thorns are now twisting into your skin.

"I...called for you. I kept screaming your name into the void."

You can feel your ribs crack under the intense pressure but you have no air to scream, your face just twists in pain. "But nobody came... Nobody came for me, Chara." He stands upright, the face on his screen is the same plain one as before but it manages to look unnaturally happy.

"You promised we'd be together forever, that I'd never be alone." Vines begin to wrap around you. "And then you appeared. In the body of the human you were supposed to stop. Oh, I remember that conversation with Sans too. He assured me and Asgore that if he couldn't stop her, that YOU would! THAT WAS YOUR JOB AND YOU FAILED US!"

Your vision is beginning to fade at the edges.

He eases up on his grip and you reflexively suck in air. You cry out in pain when your broken ribs tear into your lungs, your muscles. You cough up blood, it splatters on Flowey's screen.

"I'm...sorry!" You sob, spitting out more blood. Flowey rolls his grip, not tightening so you can't breathe, but shifting so your broken bones grind against each other. The agony is so much that you nearly black-out.

"SORRY?!" He scoffs. He laughs, the sound is absolutely bone-chilling.

"I-I...I'm trying...to fix it." You barely manage to speak. Your body is struggling to stay alive, but it only prolongs the pain. You begin to realize there are draw-backs to having so much HP. Its a fight between the injuries and the roiling energy in your chest and it's a tie.

"I'm...th-the only...one...who can." You feel confident about this. As far as you knew, you were the only one who had reset the world, who could guide its rightful reincarnation.

Flowey laughs, rolling his grip again. You scream in agony, throwing your head back. You choke on your own blood, curling forward to cough it up. The metallic sting is nauseating. But your HP jumps back when he stops. He's caught on to the possibilities of this and he laughs again.

"No, you aren't. Anyone who can absorb the monsters of the underground can control and focus their thoughts on the same goal. That's all you need! And guess who else has a human soul?" Flowey tightens his grip until you can't breathe. "Sans. Asgore. Temmie. And Asgore is lying unguarded in Alphys' lab." Flowey smiles broadly before you're torn to shreds.

 

****

CONTINUE?

Yes   No

****

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger. Like I said, totally working on the next chapter right now!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're at the home stretch. And I don't think I'm ready to finish this yet. I'm getting all emotional with this and I'm not an emotional person.
> 
> More time shenanigans and some new tricks, suicide reference. This was INCREDIBLY difficult to describe well so I hope it isn't too confusing to visualize.
> 
> Anything between two sets of four asterisks like so:
> 
> ****  
> blah  
> ****
> 
> is something that can't be fully remembered, as well as something that has been scratched through.

 

****

 

CONTINUE?

*Yes   No

 

****

A pale face flashes before your eyes in the darkness.

_You're nearly done child, you can rest soon..._

****

 

"SORRY?!" He scoffs. He laughs, the sound is still absolutely bone-chilling.

"I-I...I'm trying...to fix it." You barely manage to speak. Your body is struggling to stay alive, but it only prolongs the pain. You realize there are draw-backs to having so much HP. Its a fight between the injuries and the roiling energy in your chest and it's a solid tie.

"I'm...th-the only...one...who can." You aren't sure why you're repeating yourself. As far as you knew, you were the only one who had successfully reset the world, who could guide its rightful reincarnation.

Flowey laughs, rolling his grip again. You scream in agony, throwing your head back. You choke on your own blood, curling forward to cough it up. The metallic sting is nauseating. But your HP jumps back when he stops. He's caught on to the possibilities of this and he laughs again.

"Asriel Dreemur! Stop this!" You scream defiantly.

His grip loosens in shock. You drop to the floor and crumple. You take a deep breath and stand as your HP rockets to full. He takes a step back when you stare at him unflinchingly as your bones set themselves with spine-chilling sounds.

You spit a mouthful of blood on the floor. Aw, mom's rug... But you don't pay attention to that.

"Did...did you just reset?" He asks.

"You killed me, Asriel." He flinches at the sound of his name.

"Don't call me that." He says, looking away.

 _"Asriel."_ You growl, your fists clenched. You begin to remember how you used to tease him, almost to the point of bullying. You had been filled with such hate for humanity that it drove you to run from your real home. Sometimes that hate came out in pushing your adoptive brother around.

You're saddened to remember that you had always been tired of living. Always. So when you learned about the monsters plight? How easy it was to make that choice to sacrifice yourself for the greater good. But your hate...it manifested again when you saw humans attack your beloved brother.

It looked like the echoes of that hatred had seeped into Asriels soul when he became Flowey. You were too tired of existing to show yourself when you two were awakened by Alphys' experiment. You preferred the void, the quiet. There you could finally be at peace.

But that tether to your brother's soul would remind you, agonizingly, of how difficult it was to exist.

You sit heavily on your bed, shoving the age-old memories away. "I am sorry, brother." You tell him sadly. Flowey hesitates, his screen face flickers rapidly, but he sits on the floor in front of you. "All I wanted was for my life to actually mean something." You add, resting your face in your hands.

"It meant everything to me, mom and dad."

You laugh sharply, still covering your face. If only you had realized that in your own lifetime, you two wouldn't be in this situation. Your hatred would not have poisoned your sweet, sweet brother. Your knowledge of the void wouldn't have been available to Frisk. You would only know Sans from that one conversation...

None of this struggle, pain and agony was worth it. He was never going to be yours, he would never really forgive you. Yeah he forgave you for the things Karrin had done, but you failing? No way.

There wasn't much longer in this timeline anyway. You could finally rest. He could finally be happy. Getting to the end was the only way to begin to make up for the events that you set in motion.

You let your hands fall to your lap. Flowey looks at you. One of its vines holds a small golden locket out for you. You blink in surprise. "Oh wow..." You take it from the outstretched vine and Flowey smiles a little.

"I remember this." You say, slipping it over your head. You sigh when it rests against your chest. "How long has it really been, do you know? Since we've been in this room together, in our actual bodies."

Flowey closes his eyes. "I reset and was reset so many times, Chara...I couldn't even tell you what day it is with any certainty."

You laugh darkly at that. If it wasn't for your phone, you would have no idea how long you've been down here this time. It was surreal to think how old your soul really was. How many years did you see pass? How many lifetimes did you witness?

How many lives did you take...

"What are we doing?" Flowey asks.

You look up, confused.

A creeping smile crawls across the screen. "We both know I want to kill you." Your fists clench in anticipation of death.

Flowey covers his face with his hand-like appendages. "No, no I don't! Theses voices..."

Vines snap around you, lifting you from the bed. You gasp in surprise. "These voices...tell me all the awful things you've done."

Thorns sink into your skin as Flowey uncovers his face. A shudder runs through you. He looks insane. The smile on his screen flickers between agonized faces and his own fearful face.

"A-Asriel, Flowey...what's wrong?" You ask.

"You are." He growls.

Without any warning you're torn apart. You were powerful, but not powerful enough to withstand being ripped into eight pieces.

 

****

 

CONTINUE?

 

*Yes!   No

 

****

 

A creeping smile crawls across the screen. "We both know I want to kill you." Your fists clench in anticipation of death.

Flowey covers his face with his hand-like appendages. " ~~No, no I don't! Theses voices..."~~

What did he say? He was so hard to understand.

Vines snap around you, lifting you from the bed. You gasp in surprise. ~~"These voices...tell me all the awful things you've done."~~

You feel like if you could understand what he said, you could help him.

Thorns sink into your skin as Flowey uncovers his face. A shudder runs through you. He looks insane. Oh God, that expression... The smile on his screen flickers between agonized faces and his own fearful face.

"Flowey...what's wrong?" You ask.

"You are." He growls.

You expect it, but it doesn't prepare you for the few seconds of agony as you're carefully pulled apart.

 

****

 

CONTINUE?

*Yes   No

 

****

 

What the fuck was happening?

 

****

 

A creeping smile crawls across the screen. "We both know I want to kill you." A shudder runs through you. He looks insane. The smile on his screen flickers between agonized faces and ~~his own fearful face.~~

Your fists clench in anticipation of death.

Vines snap around you, lifting you from the bed. You gasp in surprise, it evolves into a groan of pain as thorns sink deep into your muscles, grinding against your bones.

"Flowey?" You question.

Something's wrong.

You scream in anguish. You're torn apart slow ~~er this time, like~~ he's savoring the sadism.

 

****

Wait, this time?

****

 

CONTINUE?

*Yes  No

 

****

 

A creeping smile crawls across the screen. "We both know I want to kill you." A shudder runs through you. He looks insane. The smile on his screen flickers between agonized faces and... and nothing.

Your fists clench in anticipation of death. Your heart's pounding, your soul glows under your sweater.

What?

Vines snap around you, lifting you from the bed. You groan in pain as thorns sink deep into your muscles, grinding against your bones. The vines cinch tighter until your bones crack under the pressure.

You scream in anguish. He carefully tears your arms from their sockets slowly enough that your body tries to heal the growing space between them.

"WHY?!" You cry out, trying desperately to reach the Flowey, the Asriel you knew.

Your arms are torn clean from your torso and you scream. You fill your lungs and scream again.

Thankfully everything goes black soon after.

 

****

 

CONTINUE?

*Yes   No

Yes   *No

 

****

_Not much longer..._

****

 

A flash of static in the darkness

 

****

 

CONTINUE?

*Yes  No

 

****

 

A creeping smile crawls across the screen. "We both know I want to kill you." A shudder runs through you. He looks insane. The expression on his screen flickers between agonized faces and his sadistic smile.

Your fists clench in anticipation of death. Your heart's pounding, your soul glows under your sweater.

Vines snap around you, lifting you from the bed. You groan in pain as thorns sink deep into your muscles, grinding against your bones. The vines cinch tighter until your bones crack under the pressure.

You scream in anguish. He carefully tears your arms from their sockets slowly enough that your body tries to heal the growing space between them.

"W-WHY?!" You cry out, trying desperately to reach the Flowey, the Asriel you knew.

Your arms are torn clean from your torso and you scream. You fill your lungs and scream again. A vine wraps around your neck and digs into your flesh. You don't struggle for air, you welcome the wash of black that steals your sight, and blissfully your feeling.

 

****

 

CONTINUE?

 

Yes   *NO!

 

****

_Nearly done, child_

****

 

A flash of static in the darkness

 

****

 

CONTINUE?

*Yes  No

 

****

A creeping smile crawls across the screen. "We both know I want to kill you." A shudder runs through you. He looks insane. The expression on his screen flickers between agonized faces and his sadistic smile.

Your fists clench in anticipation of death. Your heart's pounding, your soul glows under your sweater.

Vines snap around you, lifting you from the bed. You groan in pain as thorns sink deep into your muscles, grinding against your bones. The vines cinch tighter until your bones crack under the pressure.

You scream in anguish. He carefully tears your arms from their sockets slowly enough that your body tries to heal the growing space between them.

Your arms are finally torn clean from your torso and you scream. You fill your lungs and scream again. A vine wraps around your neck and digs into your flesh. You don't struggle for air, you welcome the wash of black that steals your sight, and blissfully your feeling.

 

****

 

CONTINUE?

*Yes   No

 

Yes   *No

 

RESET?

*Yes   No

 

****

 

A ripple of static, a loud whine like melting audio tape that hurts your ears.

 

****

 

*....

 

CONTINUE?

*Yes  No

 

****

 

A creeping smile crawls across the screen. "We both know I want to kill you." A shudder runs through you. He looks insane. The expression on his screen flickers between agonized faces and his sadistic smile.

Your fists clench in anticipation of death. Your chest aches and you have to fight back a sob.

Why couldn't you save him?

Vines snap around you, lifting you from the bed. You groan in pain as thorns sink deep into your muscles, grinding against your bones. The vines cinch tighter until your bones crack under the pressure.

Tears stream down your cheeks.

You scream in anguish. He carefully tears your arms from their sockets slowly enough that your body tries to heal the growing space between them.

A vine wraps around your neck and digs into your flesh. You don't struggle for air, you welcome the wash of black that steals your sight.

 

****

 

CONTINUE?

Yes   *NO!!

 

RESET?

*P L E A S E!

 

****

_There is only one choice_

****

 

A flash of white

 

****

 

CONTINUE?

Y E S

 

*.....

 

*...yes

 

****

 

A creeping smile crawls across the screen. "We both know I want to kill you." A shudder runs through you. He looks broken. The expression on his screen flickers between agonized faces. For a moment you swear you see his flower face crying...

Your chest aches. You try and fail to stifle a sob.

~~Why couldn't you save him?~~

...

~~You couldn't save him...~~

...

~~You can't save him.~~

...

_*He didn't want to be saved._

...

He didn't want to be saved...

Vines wrap around you, lifting you from the bed. You whimper in pain as thorns sink deep into your muscles. The vines cinch tighter until you can barely breathe.

Tears stream down your cheeks.

You scream in anguish as he tears your arms from their sockets. It's so quick you almost don't feel anything until blood soaks your shirt, running in thick streams over his vines.

A vine wraps around your neck and digs into your flesh. You don't struggle for air, you welcome the wash of black that steals your sight.

 

****

 

CONTINUE?

*Y E S

 

****

 

A creeping smile crawls across the screen. "We both know I want to kill you." A shudder runs through you. He looks broken. The expression on his screen flickers between agonized faces. ~~For a moment you swear you see his flower face crying...~~

Your chest aches. You try and fail to stifle a sob.

He didn't want to be saved...

Vines wrap around you, lifting you from the bed. You whimper in pain as thorns sink deep into your muscles. The vines cinch tighter until you can barely breathe.

Tears stream down your cheeks.

You scream in anguish as he tears your arms from their sockets. It's so quick you almost don't feel anything until blood soaks your shirt, running in thick streams over his vines.

A vine wraps around your neck and digs into your flesh. You don't struggle for air, you welcome the wash of black that steals your sight.

 

****

 

CONTINUE?

*Y E S

 

****

A creeping smile crawls across the screen. "We both know I want to kill you." A shudder runs through you. He looks broken. The expression on his screen flickers between agonized faces.

Your chest aches. You try and fail to stifle a sob.

He didn't want to be saved...

That...that left only one choice to keep going.

Vines wrap around you, lifting you from the bed. You sob at the awful choice you're left with. You hate Flowey for doing this to you. But maybe this was what he wanted all along?

The vines cinch tighter until you can barely breathe.

Tears stream down your cheeks.

You scream in anguish as he tears your arms from their sockets. ~~He looks away.~~ It's so quick you almost don't feel anything until blood soaks your shirt, running in thick streams over his vines.

A vine wraps around your neck and digs into your flesh. You don't struggle for air, you welcome the wash of black that steals your sight.

 

****

 

CONTINUE?

*Yes    No

 

****

 

A creeping smile crawls across the screen. "We both know I want to kill you." A shudder runs through you. He looks broken. The expression on his screen flickers between agonized faces.

Your chest aches like your soul is cracking. Maybe it was.

He didn't want to be saved...

That left only one choice to keep going.

Vines reach out to grab you. You harden your heart and snatch the tendrils, avoiding his grip as you quickly step closer.

You're keenly aware of the damage you can do with your bare hands. You haven't lifted a hand to harm anyone this timeline, but you know just the spots to hit. And you're so strong... The least you could do is make it as quick and painless as possible.

Flowey's eyes widen in surprise. His screen flashes to his flower form as you shove your fist through the monitor. You jerk your bleeding hand back and slam your foot into his torso. He falls back to the floor.

You deftly pull out your equipped weapon, a scythe. The one that Sans had saved for you.

~~Wait, where did that come from?~~

Your bottom lip trembles as you hook the blade under his neck and swiftly pull it forward, disconnecting the monitor and ducts from his plant body.

You cry out in instant regret. The scythe hits the floor and you fall to your knees. "No! Asriel!" You give a jerking sob and try to pull his body to you, but he explodes into dust at your touch.

"NO! Oh God, what did I do? What did I do!" You frantically scramble back. You look in horror at the dust coating your clothes.

"OH GOD!" You're shaking, everything drifts in and out of focus. You swipe desperately at your shirt, trying to get the ashes off of you as you cry harder. "No, As-Asriel! Flowey! Brother! I'm...I'm so sorry..." You sob into your arms as you hug your knees and tuck your head. You slowly rock back and forth on your heels.

Wait!

Your head snaps up and you wipe the tears from your face. You reach back, searching for your power. Bile rises in your throat. Your impossibly high stats rose higher. How could they keep increasing like this? You're thankful Flowey didn't join the voices in your head.

 

****

_NO_

****

 

You fall back on the floor like someone's shoved you.

For a moment you sit in shock. Then anger begins to bubble up.

You snarl and reach again for the 'reset'.

 

****

_L I V E  W I T H  Y O U R  C H O I C E  H U M A N_

****

 

You slam into the wardrobe this time, it knocks the wind from your lungs. Your anger builds to rage.

Something happened. Something was wrong.

What had happened? Why was everything so hard to remember? It was like the past hour was scrambled eggs in your brain.

You reach back, bracing yourself for the backlash.

 

****

_T H I S  I S  M O S T  U N B E C O M I N G_

****

 

You fall to your knees, breathing hard. You have to keep trying.

You aren't sure why, but you feel like you were used, manipulated.

You try again.

 

****

_N O W  Y O U  K N O W  H O W  S A N S  F E E L S_

_How many did he fell at your whim? In a futile attempt to please you, hm?_

_His own B R O T H E R._

_You can now share his pain._

****

 

You hit the floor and an unstoppable flood of memories drowns you. You were with the Dreemurs' for years before you committed suicide.

_The smell of moms' butterscotch-cinnamon pie drifts through the living room window. Dad's chasing you and Asriel through the front garden. You change step suddenly and surprise him, leaping up you manage to tackle him. He laughs hearty and loud as he falls back. You beam down at him._

_"Good counter, Chara!"_

_You both groan when Asriel piles on top of you both with a squeaky war-cry. The three of you laugh hard._

_"Do not horse-play too roughly, Asgore! They are only children." Mom calls from the window. You smile at her. "Aw, c'mon mom. Dad's a softy!" Your voice is huskier than Frisks, it sounds like an old jazz singer. You poke dad's chest and he laughs._

_"Well, regardless, dinner is ready."_

You shake yourself from the memory, but others continue. Adventuring with Asriel, exploring the glow caves and seeing the marvelous echo flowers for yourself. Comforting him when he woke from a nightmare. He slept in your bed often because he was too scared to sleep alone, and too embarrassed to tell your parents about it.

You shared nights of secrets, hopes, dreams.

A few times he comforted you when you couldn't forget your past. He promised to keep those deep dark secrets of yours. The ones that made it so hard to keep going, the ones that festered into hatred.

You tremble with sobs and try again. You can't be the one who killed him, you can't be the one who betrayed him, you just can't...

You shove hard against the force preventing your reset. You're willing to risk the stability of the multiverse for Flowey.

 

****

_If you persist in this fruitless endeavor, I will make you kill Sans too_

****

 

You scream in frustrated grief when you slam into the dresser.

Everything was your fault. You failed at everything. You failed everyone you cared about.

You try again...

 

****

_Perhaps you do not take me seriously? Child, I just made you murder your friend, your brother, one who had saved you from a death most unpleasant more than once. The only reason others you care for live is because it is currently advantageous to me._

_Now, cease this display of lamentation and continue your journey._

****

 

Rage bubbles up again and you snarl, shoving yourself up from the floor.

"Whatever you are, you obviously need me for something, right? Or else you wouldn't have manipulated me to murder! Let me save him and I'll help you willingly." You scream, turning your head to search for any movement, any hint of someone hiding.

When there is no reply you try again, shoving with as much mental force and DETERMINATION you can muster.

You WILL win.

 

****

_The effort won't be for nothing._

A sound like whining audio tape, the flicker of static...

****

 

You open your eyes drowsily. You sit up with a gasp. You recognized this room. This was...your room. Your room in the castle, when you were in your original body.

You run your hands through your hair. Shit. After silencing Frisk you must've stumbled your way into your old room and fallen asleep.

Why did your face feel damp?

You frown at the vines crawling over the bed across from you. The budding yellow flowers make your heart ache. You really wish you could find Flowey already, you were really worried for him.

Him?

You gasp as you remember more of your past life. Flowey was the remnants of your adoptive brother, Asriel! When you had sacrificed yourself you had fused with him. You two had planned to save the underground together.

But your hatred for humanity had poisoned him after death. When the seeds he died with bloomed and were experimented on by Alphys, you had both awoken from the void. He had persisted, he was desperate to live again. But you...just wanted peace and quiet, so you remained in the void. Until Frisk killed him, snapping your tether to the corporeal world.

From there you took Frisks' soul with the promise of resetting the world. But something went terribly wrong. Your memory doesn't reach back far enough to tell you what happened, all you have is Frisks' memory of the fusion.

You cover your mouth with a hand. You had so much to make up to him.

Why...why did it feel like you were never going to get that chance? Oh man, this ache in your chest was relentless. It feels like something inside you was breaking.

You subconsciously reach up to cover your heart and your fingers brush something warm against your neck.

You look down. A golden heart-shaped locket hangs around your neck. When did that get there? You hold it up in the light it shines dully. You smile and open it. _Best friends forever!_ Is scratched inside, but there is no picture. Where on earth did this come from? And why does it feel...like it belongs to you?

The pain in your chest blooms into emotional agony, it takes your breath away. You reflexively clutch the locket, snapping it shut, and struggle to keep breathing. An inexplicable sob shakes you.

 _You...you okay, kid?_ Sans asks hesitantly.

You cry into your hands for a few moments before you can compose yourself.

You wipe your face hastily and throw your legs out of bed. You don't answer Sans as you pull out your phone. Time had really flown while you were passed-out. You got a good four hours of sleep at least. Maybe you wouldn't die of sleep deprivation before you made it to the castle after all.

You sniffle and jump up from the bed. Though you desperately want to linger in your old home, you resist the urge and head straight for the stairs.

You definitely know the way from here.

You have to force down the growing feeling of fear in your gut as you walk down the long hallway to the judgement hall. Your steps slow to a near crawl, you can feel a small tremble running through your muscles.

"No, no I'm not okay, Sans." You say as you hug yourself. You keep pushing forward. You laugh, it's a forced panicky sound. "I don't know what's happening next and it terrifies me. I don't know how I'm going to do this. I'm not going to stop until I right this world. But...even though I'm here, so... so fucking close to the end, the fear that I'm not strong enough to defeat the king, the darkness," You close your eyes a moment. "Sans... It makes me so scared."

_So you're human after all?_

You laugh darkly.

Oh shit... You freeze, tilting your head back to look up at the massive wooden door in front of you.

You know what lies behind that door. Flashes of memories race behind your eyes. Some of them yours, most of them Frisks or from your time with Karrin.

You take a deep steadying breath and take one last look at your inventory. There's several unread texts that you didn't hear receiving. But there is not time for that now. You can't lose your resolve. You lock your phone screen and stow it safely in your favorite pocket. The energy in your chest rolls and it fills you with DETERMINATION.

 

****

 

An icy chill, the faintest feeling of deja vu.

...

Screaming. It fills your skull to the point of bursting. Desperate, agonized, and grief-stricken.

For a moment you almost remember everything.

 

A ripple of static and a screeching whine that hurts your ears.

 

****

 

Your vision ripples, jerking to darkness at the edges.

You sway on your feet, suddenly breathless. You clutch your side and look down in shock when you pull your hand away clean. "What...?" You frantically pat your shirt without knowing what you expected to find.

A cold sweat breaks over your skin. Your heart races inside your chest and your stomach turns in the way it only does after an adrenaline spike.

You stand for a moment longer to catch your breath. It had to be becoming DETERMINED that caused that, right? Maybe Karrin had tried to take control again?

You can't feel her in your mind. You can't feel Sans either. It's...so quiet.

Sans must have retreated to that quiet place he goes before you confront someone. That had to be it. That had to be.

You nervously lick your lips and take another deep breath, trying to settle the restlessness in your soul. You shove against the wooden doors and the light from the judgment hall stings your eyes. You think you're ready for this fight, but you couldn't be more wrong.

"FINALLY! The prodigal son returns!" You hear someone loudly announce.

What a weird thing to say. This situation had no similarity to that ancient bible story. You were a girl, you hadn't run from anyone and you weren't 'returning' to anything. And how did the monsters even know stories from the bible?

It could be easily shrugged off as just an awkward analogy, but you can't accept it for that.

You blink against the burning light and the doors slam shut with a force of finality. The throne has been moved from the garden into the end of the hall, sitting between the last two pillars.

No...

Sans sits in the ornate throne, leaning dramatically with his right leg draped over the opposite arm and his chin supported in his left hand. His right hand loosely grips a leash where it rests in his lap.

A positively traumatized-looking temmie sits beside his left foot, trembling unceasingly. It's eyes are wide and staring, looking without seeing.

"Been waiting an awful long time for you, sweetness." He adds with a smile. His left eye flashes red as a dark shadow swirls under the throne.

"Oooh, someone's either been very bad or..." He trails off as the shadow rises, darting from one side of the throne to the other to lurk behind him. He leans toward it like he's listening. You swear you hear the faintest of murmurs.

"Ah." He says. "That makes more sense. So you met Alphy. I'm glad to see you left behind that _flower."_ He spits the word. "You've always had a strange fascination with it, no matter who you choose to be."

You struggle to understand. The shadow could talk, and it wasn't attacking Sans? He hadn't killed temmie yet. Maybe you could still convince him to let you return everything to normal? You close your eyes and shake your head before you start walking toward him. You were just so relieved to see him alive, all you wanted was to to run to him but...

You slow to a stop around ten feet from him. You have so many questions. Most of them you don't want answered.

His smile softens a little and he sits up in the throne. Temmie flinches at the movement but doesn't make a sound. Sans smiles at the small, frazzled cat-like monster before he turns his eyes back to you.

"Sorry, I just had to give them a taste of what they did to you."

You're still struggling to understand.

"I decided to wait until you got here. I needed to be sure you were the one who stayed." He gives a dry chuckle. "And if you aren't the one who stays...then I'll take care of that too."

A sharp pain dances across your chest. It's so quick you think you've imagined it. Your hand twitches, about to reflexively clutch at the pain...but it's already gone.

He smiles warmly, his pupils fading to white with a blink as he stands. You take two steps back. Sans slumps a little in disappointment. "Aw, c'mon kid. You know I ain't gonna hurt you." He holds his arms out for a hug.

You stare back at him uncertainly, he's still holding temmie's leash.

A shudder passes down your spine. You have to blink away the nagging anxiety it left in its wake.

You don't know what to do.

You wince, holding a hand to your forehead as images flash behind your eyes. This isn't like other flashbacks. These are scattered, distorted. They're painful to watch, like just the sight of them is carving them into your skull. Words overlap until they're nonsense. An uncomfortably familiar whine pierces your ears from the inside and is gone before you can place where you've heard it before.

Sans smiles encouragingly, beckoning you closer. He was either oblivious or unconcerned with your apparent discomfort. "Come here, I want to fix this as much as you do."

You stand firm, staring back at him as the pain fades.

He tilts his head a little to the right, his eyes narrowing in confusion as he lets his arms drop at his sides. "I know Al fixed the voice thing I did, I got a voicemail from you. So tell me what's wrong, don't you trust me?"

The question hurts because you don't trust him anymore.

Sans closes his eyes and nods. "Fair enough. I've never been completely honest with you. None of the other Sans' have either. I was honest about one thing. I do..." The darkness whispers again, distracting him.

You step closer, leaning in to try to hear them.

He impatiently gestures at the shadow. "I've done everything like you said we should until now, give me two damn minutes." The darkness vibrates in aggravation and darts behind the throne.

Sans turns back to you and inhale sharply, taking several more steps back. He frowns crookedly. "Getting tired of that, you know I'm done killing now."

You gulp nervously. What happened to your grand plan? To storm in here and convince him to stop this insanity? Now you can barely stand to look at him for fear of confrontation. Something...something tells you this is going to end badly.

There's a flash of black and you're suddenly in his arms. You gasp and tense-up. He tucks his head against your shoulder with a sigh. He's so thin now, it really feels like you're hugging a skeleton.

You close your eyes and return the embrace.

_*He's not going to listen to you_

You gasp, your eyes widen and you clutch Sans' tightly to you. He coughs out the air in his lungs. "Jeeze, kid. I missed you too. But don't worry, I'm going to take care of everything. You can finally rest."

Your heart is pounding. Where did that voice come from, why did it sound so familiar? And why did it terrify you?

_*Only one choice_

No, no no no no no...

Sans pulls back from your vice grip to look down at you. He takes your face in his hands and makes you look at him. "What is it?" He asks. His grip tightens when tears start spilling down your cheeks.

"Chara, talk to me!" He frowns the moment he says that name. "Why..." He closes his eyes for a second before he continues, staring suspiciously down at you. "Why did I call you, 'Chara'?"

Flashes of memories, bright light, the surface. You're on the surface with Sans...

_You stretch groggily in bed. "Good morning, sunshine." You hear a sarcastic voice say. "Did you have sweet dreams?"_

_You roll and look at Sans, a huge smile plastered on his face. "No, I had a bad dream. I think it had something to do with Sir. Lancelot...and his horse?"_

_He blinks at you, his smile faltering a little. "It was a knight's mare." You explain, snickering._

_Sans snorts and immediately starts laughing. "That was probably the WORST or BEST one you've ever told me!" He says, holding his sides._

_You beam. You don't get him that good very often. After a while he recovers and sighs. You lean forward and lightly kiss his forehead. There's a shadow over his cheekbones that tells you he's blushing._

_You both sigh happily in an embrace..._

You both gasp, standing frozen.

_*You can never have that_

You suddenly sob and tuck your face into Sans' chest, knowing the voice was right. "Wh-whoa, calm down. You're really uh _rattling_ my bones here."

Your eyes go wide and you grip his coat in your hands. That joke...

You look up at Sans and begin to tremble as your hand slides up his back. His eye glows a soft blue, flashing to yellow before he blinks it away.

No. Not now. Not now!

He closes his eyes and smiles. The gold canine is gone, replaced by a white one.

Sans tilts his head back as his smile broadens. "Oh wow. I-I almost forgot what it felt like to have a whole soul."

He opens his eyes and strokes your cheeks before lightly kissing you. "Don't blame yourself." He whispers.

Your jaw drops when he steps back sharply, impaling his back on the scythe in your hands. You scream in wordless horror as his face twists in pain. He looks down and chuckles. "Heh... always forget how much that hurts." The tip of the curved blade has torn through his shirt, just to the right of his sternum. Blood quickly soaks his shirt, painting it a darker shade of red. He staggers back a few steps. You follow him, catching him by his coat when his knees give-out.

"No! No, Sans!" You can't hold him up and fall to the floor with him in your lap. You turn his face to look at you. "No, no, you can't leave yet!"

He manages a smile, blood is trickling from his teeth. "You...can't reset. " He whispers. "Please, just let me go."

You give a shuddering reply, unable to form words.

That painful high-pitched whine is back. Your vision flickers, rippling at the edges. Your fingers grip Sans tightly, warmth is soaking your jeans. "I can't." You tell him.

He blinks slowly up at you. He reaches up with a shaking hand, pulling you close. "End...this..."

"Not without you." You lean forward until your forehead touches his. He smiles, closing his eyes. You can feel the life draining from him. "You don't...n-need me...never have."

You cry-out when he dissolves to dust in your arms. Your scythe clatters to the floor as his ash sticks to your blood-soaked clothes in huge patches.

The judgement hall flickers in and out of focus. Your hands, all of you flickers with it and you can see transparent outlines of yourself beside you. The whine is louder. You lift your head to the throne. Static rolls on the edges of your vision, it roars in your ears.

You're standing without remembering moving. The scythe in your tight grip, it feels so right and you don't question the feeling now.

The darkness hovers over the throne. Between the flashes of static a form shows. Tall, thin. The face white with deep cracks over its right eye and under its left. A wide, plastered smile.

Temmie sits petrified, cowering between you and Gaster. Their eyes dart wildly around as reality begins to come apart at the seams.

A dark smile begins to pull at your lips as you step closer. Beneath the roaring static and screaming whine, you can hear yourself and Sans talking. Between the flashes of black before the judgement hall returns, you can see transparent versions of you two. Some of you fight, some scream at each other, a few embrace. You know without looking back that Sans died many more times than you.

One Sans stands over your broken body with empty eyes. His attacks negate any healing abilities you have from the amalgamate souls. It looks like that Sans had consumed temmie before you got there. There's a dim flash of light and those versions of you blip out of sight.

From your periphery you can see one of your selves fall to her knees, clutching her throat. Ahead you can see the dim outlines of yourself pacing forward before they all stop ten feet from the throne.

The sporadic, mind-bending flashes continue around you when you stand in front of Gaster. "You planned all this." You don't bother making it a question.

You can see his hands move between the jumping flashes.

_*Yes, I did._

Standing there it's so easy to see, how did you miss it? You remember killing Flowey, you remember exactly how he manipulated reality to shove you both to that point. The shadow you had seen around Flowey before he transformed. That was Gaster urging him to take the amalgamate souls.

The weeks of torture were him too.

You laugh. Something in you has changed, your heart no longer hurts. You can see through the cracks in time, the wounds he deepened to shape this diseased timeline to his will. No one was untouched by his power, not even Sans.

Through the cracks trickle every moment, every memory you walked through or observed. The weight of knowledge you gathered from those eons in the void builds your confidence. This body is merely a vessel now, the things you experienced distant and fleeting in comparison to what your soul has witnessed.

The path ahead is convoluted, twisting and complicated...but clear.

His hands shape words, but you can hear them in your head clear as day over the chaos around you both.

_*We will press forward._

You scoff at him.

"I will not be used." You reply. Your voice is garbled, torn and stretched between the flashes of reality and the void.

He patiently closes his eyes.

_*Fine, I shall humor your line of thought. You have been used to this point. Why is now different from any other moment before this?_

That smile grows until Gaster tilts his head quizzically.

"Because I am Chara, and the void is my domain." Your voice doesn't tear when you speak. A loud, unsteady laughter erupts from your lips. It only grows when Gaster shows the first signs of unease.

"You were true to your word. I resisted you and you made me kill Sans. But now..." That laughter explodes from you again as a dark, creeping shadow expands out from your feet. _"Now_ D O C T O R  G A S T E R let me show you how rightfully _terrified_ of me you should really be!"

Gaster actually steps back. You don't think he knows the fear evident on his face and this makes you laugh even more. That familiar rush of adrenaline floods your veins, oh the things you long to do...

You let your laughter die but your smile remains. Goodness gracious, it was hard to keep those decadently devious desires (you giggle at your alliteration) from flooding you when you were straddling the intersection between the void and all of your other timelines.

You reach back through the wound in reality Sans created by dying hundreds of times in the same spot. How fitting that such a sacrificial act would be what returned him to his core-self.

You will have to act quickly or risk Gaster cutting you down like he had done several times before. What you're about to do could tear reality asunder, ending existence. But you had never been one to follow the rules.

*

Your first stop is Alphys' lab. You smile at your precise aim.

The soft green light surrounding Asgore makes his white fur look like sea-grass. He's healed completely and he is a sight to behold. His broken horn, torn arm and wounded torso have regenerated but with heavy scarring.

His eyes open to stare down at you. They both glow dimly, creating halos in the stasis-fluid. His left eye is orange, his right blue. He had once comforted you about your strange red eyes by convincing you they were special, that they represented a power like his did. You just had to discover it.

You smile in vague remembrance of Frisks' fight with him, when she was still full of hope, and sigh in remembrance of your time as his daughter.

He smiles and reaches forward to touch the glass. You step closer and reach for him, touching the tube. You put your hand in his palm, its dwarfed by his massive paw. Your smile fades when your hand flickers in and out of existence.

You place your other hand on the glass. "Dad. I need your help." You tell him, your voice trembles and your hands flicker. You were really exerting yourself, using the tears in the void to maintain your position in time and space with Gaster and here simultaneously.

Asgore closes his eyes and his smile broadens. You jump back with a gasp when he rams the tube with his head, his horns shatter the glass tube and the stasis-fluid flows everywhere. You are a little surprised when the liquid doesn't splash you, it just flows right through your barely corporeal form.

Asgore lands hard in front of you. He coughs hard, spitting congealed chunks of the stasis-fluid on the floor. Alarms being to ring, a light flashes red near the door.

"My child, I have long waited for your return." Asgore wheezes on his knees. He tries to embrace you but his arms travel right through you. His smile falters. "I can't explain. But I-I need-"

"I know child. You need my souls." He interrupts. "You have explained many times now. But I feel this will be the last. Take them, I...I only have them because they died on their way down. I could never..."

"I know, dad." You comfort him. He peacefully closes his eyes as you hear someone begin to bang on the door to the small, cold room. "Thank you." He breathes as his body begins to dissolve into a fine ash.

You're tugged to the void for a moment and you push desperately back, still in time to see the six colorful souls hovering. They're so vibrant! Joyous tears spring into your eyes. "I need your help, please!" You scream, throwing your arms wide.

They slam into your chest and your thrown back into the void, breathless. You weep with ecstatic joy! They were overwhelmingly happy to be with a human again. Asgore had really taken care of them, they still retained their independent personalities. You wipe your eyes and its so much easier to reach for the other holes in reality.

"Guys, we don't have a lot of time. I have to do this quickly. I need your help, its going to be disorienting and heart-wrenching." You explain as you focus intensely.

Oh God it hurts so much! You can't help but scream in agony, falling to your knees as you grip your splitting skull. It is literally splitting in your hands. You are fracturing, throwing your awareness through all the tears in time and space. Every cell in your body feels like its exploding and regenerating, a rapid-fire cycle of unbelievable pain.

You refuse to just take the soul of every monster without personally asking, but with the time-frame you had you couldn't do that alone. You scream into the void, barely maintaining the clarity (and sanity) to seek out every monster in the underground.

They say yes, unanimously. Every single monster. Even the ones you never got a chance to get to know.

Toriel _You are good, my children!_

Papyrus _I believe in you!_

Undyne _You got this wimp!_

Alphys _Y-you're gr-great!_

Mettaton _You'll handle this fabulously, darling!_

And so many more. It makes you sob in disbelief as your shattered consciousness quickly returns. They fill your soul with so much love and kindness. Encouraging, reassuring. Two more souls brighten within you, awakened by the vibrance of the others.

Asriel _You got this, little-sis._

Sans _Told you so._

And one more, they're silent and heartbroken but lend their soul regardless.

You smile and throw yourself back to the judgment hall.

This time you have the DETERMINATION to return to yourself as you finish your threat to Gaster.

 

****

Electric fire...

A roll of static...

Sounds like a reel of film snapping...

****

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gaster wiped your memory A LOT in this chapter. Every time you stood up to him, he killed you and sent you back to your last "save" with no memory of it. Sans' memory is wiped too, but he's dealt with thousands of resets and knows how to leave clues. Him saying "the prodigal son returns", which is totally out of character for him, was so you would pay attention to everything that happened after that point. This is why you begin to remember almost immediately different details of the last hundred times you'd confronted him, but it's painful and distorted because Gaster has tried to wipe these instances from reality.
> 
> Hope that clears up any questions, but feel free to ask if I didn't explain something well. I posted this at 4am so I probably missed something.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is shorter than usual, I had thought it would be longer when I finally finished. Guh, glitches are hard to write. This was hard to write in general.
> 
> Enjoy!

 

"You were true to your word. I resisted you and you made me kill Sans. But now..." That laughter explodes from you again as a dark, creeping shadow expands out from your feet. "Now D O C T O R  G A S T E R let me show you how rightfully terrified of me you should really be!" Your voice overlaps the last dozen times you said those words. It echoes into the void and through the judgement hall.

Gaster actually steps back. You don't think he knows the fear evident on his face and this makes you laugh even more. That familiar rush of adrenaline floods your veins, oh the things you're going to do to him...

You quickly reign in the dark thoughts running through your mind. The multitude of souls within you understand all too well the pull of the dark. They support you.

Gaster recovers as you turn to temmie. You smile and reach out. "Join us." You say calmly. The words repeat through the jerking flashes, some frantic, some angry.

A slicing pain across your chest. You wince and ignore it, focusing on tem. It was only an echo. Several more deep wounds ripple through the tears, these are harder to ignore. You shift your weight, finding it difficult to stand under the weight of so many killing blows.

Gaster watches patiently. This is the longest he's waited. How many times had he let you take every soul in the underground only to kill you? The shadow pooled around you is fading, pulling back.

No! You force your point in time and space to stay fixed. "S T A Y!" You order through gritted teeth. The void obeys and spreads out once more, but this only strengthens your connection to your other selves.

Your knees give out and you slump to the floor. Even with the help of everyone, the pain is too much to stay upright. You can't differentiate single echoes from each other, your entire body resonates in agony without shedding a single drop of blood.

You reach a shaking arm for temmie. They stare back at you in terrified awe. "Please, tem. We n-need you."

Something sparks in temmie's eyes and a wide smile splits their face Cheshire-cat-style. "What makes you think I would help you?" It suppresses a shudder and leaps lightly to the throne, sitting behind Gaster.

A voice cuts through the static and chaos around you. _Gaster has the twelve souls, not temmie. Not anymore._

You aren't the only one who could manipulate the past without resetting. Your eyes widen before you look up at Gaster. "Ffffffuck..."

_*We have reached the denouement of this world..._

Gaster smiles, spreading his hands wide before they multiply and fan around him. His form remains steady through the flashes of static and black. The undefined area below his waist shapes itself into long legs covered by black pants. His right eye finally opens fully. A flickering light begins to shine through the cracks in his face and slowly fills his sockets. The light rapidly switches between a dozen colors, strobing wildly.

He slams his right foot down with a smirk and the judgment hall is torn away to reveal white-noise. Temmie is gone. Everything is gone. The remainder of the void, your fixed point in time and space is gone. However, the layered pain of so many deaths is gone too.

Gaster takes a deep breath, closing his eyes and tilting his head back. The detached hands circle him as he opens his eyes, exhaling with a broad smile.

 _*Finally._ The word is like a sigh.

Your mouth falls open slightly. "Fuck." The souls in you agree.

He chuckles soundlessly, his shoulders shaking. You slowly stand, turning in the new emptiness around you.

 _*Welcome to my domain, human._ He says, dramatically spreading his many hands around him. _*The veil._

The static vanishes to black and numbers begin to appear.

 _*Here is where the world will be re-written, reduced to data, codes_. The numbers scroll around you both, some go up while others go down.

 _*So you fully understand the gravity of my next and only offer, let me show you what you stand to lose if you refuse me._ His hands reach out, lightly tapping different numbers, some are erased and some light up sequences of numbers in scattering directions, rapidly changing them.

A deep unease turns your stomach.

You cry out as the air is slammed out of your lungs, your soul tears through your shirt.

A flash of light.

Your power suddenly drops drastically.

A transparent Sans materializes. It's _you_ _r_ Sans. Blood still shines wetly on his shirt and trails from his teeth. You're frozen in place when he groggily blinks, he holds a hand to his head. How did Gaster pull him from your soul? "Shit that was rough." He grumbles.

 _*Need I explain further?_   Gaster asks with a pleasant smile, his eyes still flash madly.

You can finally move. You rush forward, but before you can grab Sans he's pulled down by a multitude of hands and swallowed by the numbers flying beneath your feet. The last you see of him is his eyes wide in horror.

You're trembling with rage.

 _*If you hand over your souls, I will ensure he is in the next world. Safe and sound, with only sickeningly happy memories of you. You will replace Frisk in the timeline so you will be alive when he is. Monsters and humans will co-exist happily, the Dreemurrs will still adopt you only it will be much sooner. He will be ecstatic when he finally finds you. Happy endings for everyone._   He rolls his eyes and waves one of his hands carelessly.

_*If you refuse, I will subject him to the very worst of his previous lives before he's recreated. You and I both know how keen of a memory he has, not even our combined meddling could wipe that boy's mind. And I will trap you in the darkest corner of the multiverse._

His threat makes you hesitate. You don't want to risk refusing him yet. But the first option sounded way too good to be true.

"What are you getting out of this?" You ask suspiciously. The hands are still delicately touching and rearranging code.

Gaster laughs soundlessly again. *I will exist again, dear girl!

Your suspicion deepens. Suddenly Asgore's voice cuts through the hum of voices in your head. _Trust your instincts, Chara._ A flash of a memory. It's one of yours. "You hate humanity."

He bows dramatically. _*Guilty as charged. However, it is impossible to erase beings from existence. So humanity shall remain in the next world.  
_

"You would try." No way was he going to make an effort to spare you or any other human for that matter.

_*My patience wears thin, child._

You close your eyes, trying to steel your heart. Sans' words echo. _Please, let me go... End this._

You won't fail him again, even if...even if he won't remember it. Even if he won't remember you. That same feeling of dark peace from the judgement hall settles in your chest.

"No."

Gaster's eyebrows raise, his sockets stretching up on his forehead. It would be comical if it didn't remind you so achingly of Papyrus.

_*I will win this fight, I was merely offering you a chance at--_

"Whatever." You interrupt. You don't bother hiding your smile when Gaster's head snaps back to you, enraged. You laugh madly as a thrill of fear makes you tremble with a fiendish delight. If you were going to die, you weren't going to hold yourself back. You had been fighting your own nature for so long.

Truth be told, you got a dark fulfillment from pushing people's buttons. You loved to watch them lose control of their emotions because of you. Seeing someone react violently was something that developed after you fused with Frisk. Memories of Asriel pushing people to their breaking points had fascinated you and Frisk. You could always reset them, right? So what harm was there in torturing people, it's not like they could remember. You had been detached from _real_ emotion for so long that when you tried to overtake Frisk and accidentally fused with her, that it seemed so natural to pursue the deepest, most sinister of your desires.

But...after millions of resets and timelines you both began to wonder at happier things. You should thank Gaster for trapping Frisk in the other timeline and letting you take control again. But until your fusion with the other Sans, the echoes of your time as Karrin had been manageable. After the fusion you were strong enough to keep that part of yourself at bay until the near-fight with Sans. You realize this had been his plan all along. Karrin was too unpredictable, Frisk was too twisted, but you? You were desperate enough for peace that you would do anything to fix the damage you'd done.

The souls are unsettled and you can't reassure them. You don't know what their real fate will be anymore.

This was the end of everything.

Shimmering colors explode from Gaster's back. Your eyes widen and your fists clench in anticipation. The numbers slow to a stop and spiral in reverse. The numbers scrolling beneath your feet shake violently and you widen your stance for better balance.

"Give me your worst, Gaster." You taunt as the blob of rapidly changing color expands, spilling onto the numbers and turning them into frantically flashing sequences. Soon it looks like you're about to fight inside a strobe light.

 _*Everything can be re-written._ He tells you ominously. _*Including you. More specifically, the monsters inside you. So kind of you to gather them for me..._

A writhing feeling in your chest begins to build. The numbers suddenly stop with a flash of white light and you fall to your knees as your stats plummet to their original levels. Your HP hovers precariously at 40 and is ticking down at a fraction of point at a time.

The silence in your head is deafening. Everyone is gone, the monsters, the human souls. "No."

 

*You 'check' him

*...

*ATK, HP, DEF, LV are all immeasurable

*Talking will not work.

*Sparing will not work.

*You are too weak to fight.

*There is no where to flee.

 

Gaster smiles. _*If it is any comfort, they will be restored without harm. You however...oh._ His head tilts a little to the left. _*You are going to be such a pesky code to unravel. Pieces of you are scattered everywhere. You left such a mess._

The numbers flash once more and begin to spin, your HP drops more dramatically and an immense pressure constricts your chest. You had been so powerful earlier you hadn't even noticed the code hurt you.

Your soul is still exposed, its being drawn slowly toward Gaster. It trembles, struggling to return to you. A crack appears in it and you scream in terror, falling forward on your hands. You can't let him take you. You were the last thing in his way. There had to be a way to defeat him, there just had to be!

You pant hard, sweat runs down your face as you stand on trembling legs.

*You want to fight Gaster.

You will stand alone before him, but you will not back down. There's a small pulsing in your chest. Another soul remains.

_*Human, why do you persist?_

Your soul cracks again as he pulls it to him harder. Its shaking, the color fading. Your HP is at 10 and still dropping...

*YOU WANT TO FIGHT GASTER!

 _*Very well_.  Several of his detached hands reach out. Your weakened soul can barely dodge the first few. When they finally catch it your HP hits 1 and you fall again.

You can't give up but you can't _get_ up.

The cracks in your soul deepen and scatter. Your vision blurs in and out of focus, swimming with all the colors circling you.

The dark red of your soul finally shatters. Your HP drops to zero and the colors quickly fade to black.

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

Death is strangely warm...

But unwelcoming.

It refuses you.

 

 

 

 

****

 

Air fills your lungs suddenly. You cough hard. You shouldn't be surprised death didn't want you, but you are. At this point it was probably just the worlds' natural reaction after all the times you had cheated it out of your soul.

Your HP has jumped back to 40 and slowly ticks down in fractions as multicolored numbers swirl around you.

A silent DETERMINATION resonates within you.

Frisk...?

You force yourself to stand, gritting your teeth through the burning in your muscles.

Gaster looks mildly impressed.

_*Such a nuisance._

His detached hands still clutch your soul tightly. The deep cracks pulse with light. You huff and jerk it free of his grip. The hands scramble to catch it but it easily darts away.

Gaster scowls and lifts his arms. The scrolling, flashing numbers stop sporadically. Entire sequences vanish. You can feel chunks of memories fading from the monsters like needles in your brain. Slowly you're being re-written back to a single lifetime.

It's hard to focus on everything he's doing while you're trying desperately to get your soul to return to you.

DETERMINATION floods you when your knees tremble. It's impossible to tell if it was you or Frisk. The light in your cracked soul shines even brighter and its even easier to dodge Gaster's hands, even as they multiply.

You laugh. Even this was enough, just taunting him as death refused to take you. Your soul can't hold out for much longer, might as well enjoy the time you have left.

Your body flickers, your lines blur and minuscule lines of numbers scroll over your skin. You're weightless. You wonder what will happen when he re-writes the universe. Will you still remember everything, or will it be a blank slate?

You can no longer access your stats.

A strange, indescribable feeling sinks into your bones.

The numbers over your skin change its color from a rich tan to a pale, porcelain white. You're several inches taller, your jeans slide down your hips a little. In spite of everything you look down in wonder. Even with the flickering code coating your body, it was _your_ body.

The spiraling, flickering lines of code around you have decreased to just a few final, stubborn sequences.

Your souls' cracks have spider-webbed over the entire surface. That DETERMINED light still pulses strongly in the grip of Gaster's hands.

_*Finally. You were a vexatious creature to deal with._

*You are alone.

"Good." You reply. Your voice is a little deeper than Frisks though you were younger than her when you died. Only 15 when you gave your soul to your brother to save the underground. It felt worlds away now.

The lines of code fade until only two remain, slowly circling beside you and Gaster. Your insanely intertwined timeline has been reduced to your original life. The memories of the other monsters have been wiped clean of your entangled touch. They will be themselves, they will be sane when the world is recreated. Even Frisk will be okay. You don't know what will happen to Sans. You just hope he isn't tortured like Gaster threatened.

He steps closer and your body continues to flicker. With a gentle tap he erases your timeline. It shatters your soul. You go limp and hit the hard, invisible surface you were both standing on.

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

Death is warm.

It would be so nice to finally rest.

To fade away from the endless struggle.

But it refuses...

 

 

 

 

****

 

Shit.

Air rushes painfully into your lungs with a harsh, strangled sound. For a moment you don't have the strength or the will to sit up.

You just wanted to sleep.

_*NO! This is impossible!_

"P-p-reaching toooo the choir, D-Doc." Ugh, what was up with your voice? It's like a scratched CD.

You sit upright. Your body flickers so wildly you almost can't see how hard you're trembling. Your soul is in his hands. The light is brighter, shining through the cracks. Behind him you can see your timeline blinking in and out of the black.

He snarls and shatters your soul.

Your lungs collapse, but there is no reprieve to the void this time. You slump, still upright but unable to move. As your vision begins to fade at the edges you see the shattered pieces of your soul snap back together in his hands. Your timeline jerks in several directions, it will start traveling up before blinking out and returning to travel in reverse. It was struggling to keep you existing, refusing to give up.

 _Fuck,_ it hurt to start breathing again this time.

You give a pained laugh when Gaster's eyes narrow angrily. Your voice is distorted, cutting out and speeding up at random.

Hundreds of his hands crush your soul.

This time the air leaves your lungs in a hard exhale. You manage to stay upright. Your coded timeline doesn't even flicker out, it sparks between direction changes.

A twitching smile pulls at your lips when a brilliant white light begins to shine through the hands. Gaster covers his face with an arm as the hands are blasted away. He slides back a few feet from the force.

Air slides into your lungs like liquid fire.

You try to stand.

Your legs give under the weight and you sit with your legs splayed beneath you. But your soul... shards of it are missing. It barely retains its shape. The white light within pulses, globs of shimmering DETERMINATION spill from it onto the hard surface beneath.

Gaster is horrified. He rushes forward to break your soul again as numbers scatter out erratically from where your DETERMINATION drops. You were going to bring everyone back, he wasn't going to take them.

He wasn't going to take you.

He hesitates before touching it with his own hands and summons duplicates. They melt instantly under the raw energy of your soul and he has to pile more on. Blasters similar to Sans' appear and fire at your soul, they're more angular and have larger teeth. Colors explode out from his outstretched hands and roll like lava over your slowly disintegrating soul.

You're unconcerned with the effort. You blink rapidly, your lungs will cease working for seconds at a time and your vision will blur but you know now this won't end. Your eyes drift to the scrolling numbers around you. They fill the space and you hear your friends voices whisper through all the chaos Gaster was causing.

Every sequence represented someone's timeline. The changing numbers were their lives reduced to data, code... but it was so much more than that.

You smile and reach out. Your arm glitches. That's what it was, a glitch. If the universe could be seen in numbers and data, then you must be glitching because you were an impossibility. You were outside of your timeline, outside of the void. Not even Frisk, Sans, or Gaster had meddled so thoroughly with reality. Death wouldn't take you because it couldn't pin down your scattered touch throughout time and space.

You still smile as you look around you. The numbers begin to shine as more of your DETERMINATION spills from your splintering soul. You almost fear soon all that would be left of you would be that shimmering liquid.

Almost.

Your sight vanishes for a few seconds and very gradually returns.

Gaster stands panting silently, sweat runs down his face.

_*This is...not possible._

You blink placidly. Only a quarter of your soul remains, disjointed. It barely looks like a heart anymore. Your DETERMINATION is still flowing but not as earnestly as before. All the swirling numbers have returned to their rightful place, the alterations made by Gaster have been removed.

You continue to glitch and flicker, its even worse now than before. Its so difficult to keep your shape.

You smile darkly at Gaster.

Your ATK, HP, DEF, LV are all immeasurable

Talking will not work.

Sparing will not work.

You are too weak to fight.

There is no where to flee.

"Tell me how terrifying it is to know that even with eighteen human souls, you can't defeat me?" Your voice tears, layering over itself like old audio tape that's been recorded over too many times. "I can't even stand to defend myself, and every attack only makes me stronger."

The shining light of your soul bursts and a wave of shimmering liquid rolls toward Gaster. He scrambles back, but there is no where left for him to run.

_*YOU CAN'T DO THIS!_

"Where did your eloquence go, Doctor?" You ask, cocking your head in feigned innocence. Your voice drops an octave before unexpectedly speeding up.

As long as you held onto your tenuous existence, he could never win. You laugh just to know what it'll sound like. Ooh... it's bone-chillingly malicious. It echoes, layering again with a dry, booming cackle.

Your DETERMINATION hits him, knocking him off his feet. His hands reach up, desperately trying to claw away. The sight makes your eyes widen and your smile broaden. The expression is one that Asriel used to call your 'creepy face'.

You wave slowly at Gaster as he's quickly consumed by your souls' DETERMINATION and the liquid condenses back into its broken container.

A flood of power slams into your chest as your DETERMINATION begins to flash, rapidly changing colors like Gaster's eyes had. Your disjointed soul snaps back to its rightful place above your sternum. You look down as liquid drips down your torn shirt. The colors continue to flash.

Your poor soul. It would never be whole again.

You're still glitching as you stand. You can feel Gasters' rage burning through your chest. You turn and without knowing how you know, you touch his timeline. A swirl of data crawls down your arm and flashes against his timeline. When you pull your flickering hand away, his timeline is no longer inexplicably distinguishable from the others.

You bend and place your hands on the floor. A tired smile pulls at your lips when the numbers part and your transparent Sans rises between them.

He looks bewildered and anxious. He turns quickly searching the vast 'room'. You notice the blood on his clothes is gone, its a small comfort. He looks at you and gives a small sigh of relief, running a hand over his face. "Shit, am I glad to see you." He says. Your smile warms and you glitch, pieces of you jerking sideways before snapping back to their original place.

His face falls and he blinks sadly at you. He looks away, smiling weakly at the rolling numbers around you both. "Its gorgeous, isn't it? Everything that ever was, is, or will be is swirling around us."

You nod, unable to look away from him.

"You didn't reset. But you didn't let me go either." He says with a crooked smile. "Always gotta bend the rules, don't you?"

"I-I leeearned f-from the be-est." You joke and try not to grimace at how awful your voice sounds, it was steadily getting worse. Now you sounded like a scratched CD or a warped record.

Sans closes his eyes and smiles. His smile slowly dies before he opens his eyes. "What're you going to do?"

"I-I-I'm going to f-fix the unive-v-verse." You prefer the scratched CD sounds to the layers of malice you had when speaking to Gaster earlier. Maybe your emotions had an effect on what kind of glitches you produced. Anger kept you cohesive, but scary. Peace made your voice sync up with the spastic flashes of your body.

Your heart longed to ask one final favor but you didn't want to burden him with it.

"You're..." His eyes widen in horror when he sees your soul. "Holy fuck, Chara! You're leaking! I told you this was too dangerous!"

You can't help but smile at hearing your name on his lips. You were in your own body, standing in front of your favorite person in all of existence, and he knew your name.

"G-Gaster did-did this. D-d-d-eath woulDn't ta-take me." You chuckle, looking down at your dripping soul.

Sans pulls you to him in a tight embrace. You jump but quickly hug him back. You're thankful you can hold him. "Still think my idea's better." He says stubbornly into your shoulder. "We could even have Frisk and Asriel back. All it would take is just rearranging the timelines. You could fall when Frisk does and there wouldn't be all the fighting because Asgore and Tori would adopt you both. We could all be happy in the underground. I don't care about the surface. Only one straight line, no deviations, no risk for this endless cycle again. Doesn't that sound better than just hoping you get it right?"

"Th-then yOu-you'd haaaave two g-g-irlfriends." You laugh and it has a deeper echo beneath it. Sans laughs too, gripping you tighter. "Don't make me live through another world without knowing the end."

You shut your eyes and sigh, stroking his back. "I'm n-n-not suuuuuposed to e-e-ev-v-ven know you, S-Saaans. Fr-Frisk is the oNe wh-who sa--"

"Shush, damnit." He snaps before kissing you. You lean into the kiss, holding him desperately. You couldn't deviate from the core-timeline like that. It would be too much difference, something would happen and you'd end up right back here.

Right?

You both pull away, he rests his forehead against yours. "We c-c-aaan'T dev-v-v-iate FrOm the al-alpha timeline liiiiike th-that."

He chuckles, hugging you again after he kisses your forehead. "We shouldn't. Who knows what that kind of re-writing could do to reality." He tucks your head under his chin. "But damn if it isn't tempting."

You were right.

You know if you hesitate for much longer you won't have the courage to do what needs to be done.

"S-s-sorRy." You whisper before blipping out of his arms to stand by his timeline code. He turns too look at you, shoving his hands into his blue coat. "Blllue suiiits y-you. I-I GuEssss Th-th-that Makes sEnse."

Sans closes his eyes. Your hand hovers over his timeline.

"I won't. It may kill me, but I promise I won't."

It seemed your hearts' request was asked anyway. And he heard it.

You choke back a sob and slam your hand against his timeline sequence. Your body trembles as he fades. You turn to the numbers, his timeline flashes the palest yellow before you pull your hand away. It fades to white like all the others and you turn your back on it.

You try to walk away, to restart the universe while you have the resolve but you can't stop the tears. You wipe at your face, trying to steady yourself.

"G-g-get AaaahoooLd of y-y-your-s-s-elf!" You yell, your voice jumps erratically before you collapse to your knees. "S-s-s-tOp it! R-ri-right fuuuucking No-now!" You sob into your hands, an eerie glitching wail fills the vast space around you. "Q-quit bEiiiiing we-we-weak!"

The thought of facing a world without ever knowing your friends, of dying before you even get to meet them is too much to bear. And you just doomed Sans to another lifetime of misery because you couldn't keep your heart quiet.

You failed him again.

The souls within you hum.

 

_You're not weak!_

_Its okay to be upset._

_You loved him, you didn't fail him._

_You were strong for so long._

_Let it out kid, it's alright._

_If that's weak, I'd hate to see your definition of strong._

 

That last one makes you laugh.

 

_You can do this!_

_We want to help._

_See, you got this._

_You aren't alone._

_Together we can fix this._

_Let us help you!_

 

You wipe your face. You're still twitching and glitching. But you make it to your feet. Your heart feels like its in as many pieces as your soul.

 

_We can end it._

_The world will be reborn._

_Everything will be better._

_We're tired too, but we can do this. We have to._

_C'mon kiddo._

_We believe in you._

 

You reach into the broken well of DETERMINATION in you and focus intensely. You visualize the world you want to make. You can see it begin to materialize, thought into reality. The scrolling code flickers and fades into the shapes and faces of people you loved, and people you've never met.

Tears stream as you laugh in relief.

Years, millennia of events flash before you the souls within you being to drift away. Slowly they return to their rightful places in time and space until you are alone again.

You stare out at the world and laugh again. You wipe tears from your cheeks and finally let yourself rest. You close your eyes and feel the weight of the past reality lifting from your shoulders.

You'll wake in your rightful place when the time is right.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end of the main part of the story. An Epilogue will be posted, but...there's going to be more than one ending. You'll get to pick which one you like best, or read all of them if you want. :) I'm going to say it's going to be a week or two before I can get through all the alternate endings because I'd like to post them all at once so everyone who wants to pick a different ending doesn't have wait for it to be posted.
> 
> Goodness, that song "please don't go" played while I was writing Sans' goodbye and I actually teared-up a bit. Hope you enjoyed the read so far ^u^ I've had SO much fun writing this. Thank you for reading!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapters will be disconnected from each other. I thought about putting them in a separate work, but that seemed too messy. These are the possible endings I came up with, sorry they took a while to get together. The last one was kind of a pain. The prompts at the beginning of each chapter describe what kind of person Chara is at the start of each world.
> 
> "...." Is time passing without knowing how much time has really passed
> 
> The asterisks are you being aware of how much time has passed.

What world do you want to create?  
Sans'   *Chara's

  
  
Do you think Frisk can be good?  
Yes     No

  
  
*You are hopeful Frisk can be good.

 

****

 

 

You can feel something.

This is mildly intriguing, you haven't felt anything for eons. What is this?

....

There's a flash of something bright red. That feeling is stronger now. Your mind begins to wake.

....

There are screams now, surprise and anguish. Fear. The same feeling is even stronger. Its... You've almost forgotten the word for it, you had been resting in darkness for so long.

Rage. A blinding, terrifying rage.

....

You can see. It takes you a little while to adjust to the long-forgotten sense. You're watching the world through someone else's eyes. You know this because you cannot control their actions.

The creatures you see, they are familiar. They spark emotions of recognition in you, the real you.

Monsters? No. These are not monsters, though they call themselves this. These are friends. Family. Your...they're your friends.

That rage builds again and you can focus it now. You pull away from the...the thing that's murdering your friends.

The darkness surrounds you again and you let your rage fester like an open wound. Somehow you know they will eventually come to you. And you will be ready for them then.

....

You continue to see flashes, glimpses of the horrors being committed. Your rage grows with each death.

....

You are too angry to be shocked when limbs begin to form in the darkness. In what feels like a blink, your body has returned.

You remember this body well. But you know it is only an illusion. You have no lungs to breathe, no heart that beats, but you have eyes to see and hands to touch.

You smile. It feels so foreign after so long.

They will be here soon.

....

They are close. You have seen the castle through their eyes.

....

Something flickers before you.

A very familiar silhouette struggles to retain its shape.

Your soul aches at the smell of cedar.

"Sans." The word is a just above a breath.

A small, agonizingly familiar chuckle. "Heh."

A short sigh and the form is more solid now. Your rage has subsided and you have to concentrate to keep your body.

He's standing with his hands in his coat. He looks so tired, more tired than you can remember. You reach forward to touch him but he backs away.

It hurts, but you let your arm fall.

"I...I finally remember." Sans tells you. "I remember the last universe, but only snippets." His form flickers as he closes his eyes.

You frown when images flash behind your eyes. It floods you all at once. Your endless timelines, the years and years of death, torture and fighting. And the few and far between happy timelines, where you made your way to the surface with the monsters....only to return.

You shudder. You alone had ended the world. And you alone had suffered through the endless void. Slowly fading into a dark, peaceful slumber. For eons you thought you succeeded in erasing yourself from existence. But you briefly returned to reality beginning with your birth. Your memories of the void and the other worlds were too vast for your infant brain, they faded until you fell into the underground. Cracking your skull on the pit was enough to see through the holes in time and space.

You only had a few years with your family before you sacrificed yourself for the monsters. You knew you had to tip the first domino for Frisk to return and save the world. You made her younger this time, though your uncertainty remained.

"Frisk?" You ask.

Sans opens his eyes and shakes his head, looking away from you sadly. "She's not Frisk. She calls herself 'Chara'."

You growl. "That is MY name! She is to be Frisk, and I am to be here for all eternity! This was the price we paid to save the multiverse!"

Sans nods. "I know. I remember that now. But I need your help again."

Your rage is boiling once more, you feel your soul pulse with the energy.

He continues when you don't respond. "The kid's going to kill me eventually. I'll put up the hardest fight I can, maybe...maybe they'll remember who they are. Maybe they'll remember that things can be peaceful and happy and they'll reset to fix it. But...they're going to kill me. I need you to destroy them before they get to the end and do it all over again. We have to keep it balanced or the corruption will take over once more."

"Balanced." You whisper. "If I destroy them, there will be no more to existence. I do not have the power to 'reset'. I required an impossible amount of power to recreate reality, I could not possibly have that power again."

Sans runs a hand over his skull and sighs. "We can't let what happened before happen again. I just... I'm getting more flashbacks to the other reality, Chara. I don't think I have what it takes to hold out again. Not..." He fades out. "She killed Papyrus. He let her kill him. He's n...never just given up like that."

"I will destroy them. They had their chance to have a happy ending. Now they will remain here with me forever." You tell him. You would do anything for him. Anything to make up for your sins.

Sans relaxes, closing his eyes as he sighs and relief visibly floods him.

"Thank you." He whispers before slowly fading into the void.

You feel so much worse with him gone.

He's going to die and there's nothing you can do to stop it. What's worse, you caused it by restarting all of existence to erase your sins and that still wasn't enough to make him forget.

You steel your soul, mustering your rage again. You will be ready to face her. The one who stole your name.

....

You're having trouble thinking clearly when you see her kill Sans. You observed through her eyes, he urged her to turn back. But she either didn't hear or didn't care. If there were any space in your soul for love you would have broken down right then, but there was only hatred now. He fought her for weeks worth of resets but eventually, he was right. She killed him.

Your power has grown now too. You are strong enough to steal her away from reality when she cuts down Flowey. Your sad, tortured, anguished Flowey. She'd unintentionally sliced your final tether to the world, giving you your brother's power.

She barely looks surprised. Though she is a child, she has the maturity and hardness in her eyes of a seasoned murderer. Eyes that once stared back at you in the mirror.

For a moment you can't speak. You're so enraged. All you can do is smile, knowing what you have planned.

"Greetings." You begin. " _I_ am Chara. Thank you."

She stands unmoving, glaring suspiciously at you.

"Your power...awakened me from death. My 'human soul'. My...'determination'. They were not mine...but yours. At first I was so...confused. Our plan had failed, hadn't it? Why was I brought back to life?"

You feel like you need a breath to steady yourself, but this is impossible. So you continue.

"You." The word is sickly sweet. This was never supposed to happen...or maybe it was always fated to happen. "With your _guidance._ I realized the purpose of my reincarnation."

Her eyes narrow curiously, the grip on her knife has slackened just a little. You have her full attention now.

"Power." You tell her.

You remember Sans now. Your last lives. Currently an annoyance. You must focus on the one before you, the one who stole your name. "Together we eradicated the enemy and became strong. HP. ATK. DEF. GOLD. EXP. LV. Every time a number increases, that feeling... That's me. Chara."

Her stance shifts. She doesn't seem to like you using that name.

"Now." You feel certain. She isn't leaving you, no matter what she 'decides'. "Now we have reached the absolute. There is nothing left for us here. Let us erase this pointless world, and move on to the next."

You patiently wait for her answer, feeling more confident with each passing second.

She seems a little unsure of herself now, the knife in her hands trembles slightly. She shakes this off and stands her ground.

 _*No_ She says firmly, her voice echoes in the void though her lips don't move. You feel her searching for an exit, searching for her power. Your soul resonates with the DETERMINATION you once had, the awful, terrible power you had used in error to control those around you.

"You have misunderstood...." You whisper. You can feel your grip on the illusion of your body fading. "Since when...were you the one in control?" You lumber forward, your body flickers like static. It's so hard to maintain your form as you reach for her. You want to make her pay for hurting everyone, you want to make yourself pay for all the terrible things you've done.

She can't even scream as you cut her down, she's too terrified to move. You think this is the first time she's felt fear in a very long time.

She will pay.

And the world will cease to exist.

That is the price for thinking you could play God.

....

The silence is long.

Your mind begins to fade into its deep slumber once more.

Just as you near the tipping point of blissful quiet and memories, something flickers into view.

Your mind rouses awake once more.

A red soul has appeared from the darkness, it resonates brighter with every passing second until it is glowing in the void.

You observe it for some time before you cautiously speak to it.

"Interesting..." You say. The light trembles for a split second. "You want to go back. You want to go back to the world you destroyed. It was you who pushed everything to its edge. It was you who led the world to its destruction. But you cannot accept it. You think you are above consequences."

There's a long pause.

_*Yes_

You feel a small amusement. "Exactly." You reply, matter-of-factly.

You let the soul wait in the void for another long moment. You intend to let yourself fade back into sleep but an idea comes to you. A very terrible, selfish, cruel idea. "Perhaps..."

The soul shimmers.

"We can reach a compromise. You still have something I want. Give it to me." Your voice trembles with rage and the soul in front of you burns brighter. You almost chuckle at its arrogance. "And I will bring this world back."

They deny you.

You laugh. "Then stay here for all eternity."

You settle in for a long sleep again as the soul angrily resonates. You are nearing that blissful quiet. This time you'll have memories to keep you company, at least until those eventually fade. This whole ordeal has been quite exhausting, but...it was nice to see Sans again.

The soul begins to to panic and it disrupts your rest. You watch it flicker wildly, mildly amused at its discomfort. It had after all, brought this on itself.

After some time you ask again. You're too tired to ask something new, so you repeat yourself. "You think you are above consequences."

 _*Yes!_ The soul replies quickly.

"Exactly." You're pleased. "Perhaps..." You're so tired now. The rage that had fueled you before has long since vanished, all you want is rest. "We can reach a compromise. You still have something I want. Give it to me. And I will bring this world back."

 _*Yes_ The soul replies quickly again. They must be terrified of this void that you had grown so very used to. You remember being desperately afraid of the endless dark at first, but eventually you made peace with it and grew to enjoy the quiet.

"Then it is agreed. You will give me your SOUL." You struggle to stay aware.

The soul shimmers uncertainly.

_*Yes_

You feel relief like a sigh. "Then, it is done." The soul doesn't resist as you reach out and absorb its power. You shudder at the feeling of the writhing monster souls within it. A familiar blue and gold spark makes you ache for the chance to be real again. But you resist.

You take the power gathered by Frisk, you have control over her abilities and try to reset the world back to before she fell into the underground. But...something is wrong. You feel her in your memories. She shoves her way harshly through every nook and cranny of your shattered soul.

In horror you shove her out, resetting the underground. But she's retained her memories and stolen yours.

No.

NO!

But it's too late, she is gone and you are alone again in the void. It was supposed to erase her memory of their deaths, remove the taint of murder on her soul.

You failed.

The act has drained you... There is no energy left to recall your action even if you still had the ability to reset. It is done. You can't even regret it.

You fade quickly into a deep slumber.

 

....

 

....

 

....

 

....

 

You can feel something...

No...not again. You don't want to do this again. You shut yourself away from the horror and return to sleep.

....

You tuck yourself deeper away from the rage that tries to build in your barely lingering soul. You can't take it. You can't handle seeing them all die again. You just can't.

....

Something flickers before you.

A very familiar silhouette struggles to retain its shape.

Your soul aches at the smell of cedar.

"Sans." The word is a just above a breath.

A small, agonizingly familiar chuckle. "Heh."

A short sigh and the form is more solid now. You have to concentrate to make yourself materialize. Just for Sans you'll do this.

He's standing with his hands in his coat. He looks so tired, more tired than you can remember. You reach forward to touch him but he backs away.

You step closer and grab his arm, not letting him get too far. If you could cry you would have when your hand slides right through him. You can't even touch him. He looks away.

"I can remember all of it this time." Sans tells you. "I remember the last world, but only snippets. You didn't listen to me. There's more differences now than the last time I saw you." His form flickers as he closes his eyes.

You try to pull away when images flash behind your eyes. It floods you all at once, all over again. Your endless timelines, the years and years of death, torture and fighting. And the few and far between happy timelines fused with Frisk...only to have her return.

You shudder. At least resetting the timeline back to when Frisk fell meant you didn't have to relive the time with your family.

You didn't listen to Sans, your pride was always too much to let you take his advice. You always had a better plan. And you messed up. You let her get into your memories, you let her keep hers. You didn't want to know the damage you'd done.

"Frisk?" You ask.

Sans opens his eyes and shakes his head, looking away from you sadly. "She's not Frisk. She calls herself 'Chara'."

You shiver. "I used her power the last time you sent her to me and I...I used it to reset the world. She...I thought she would be good. I thought that letting her suffer in this void would be enough to remove the blood-lust from her soul." You can't admit to him the true depth of your failure.

Sans nods. "I know. And she was good. There were several timelines consecutively that were good. At first I was so angry with you when I woke up back in my bed in Snowdin, but then I thought you had done the right thing."

He continues when you don't respond. "The kid's going to kill me eventually. I'll put up the hardest fight I can, maybe...maybe they'll remember who they are. Maybe they'll remember that things can be peaceful and happy and they'll reset to fix it. But...they're going to kill me. I need you to destroy them before they get to the end and do it all over again. We have to keep it balanced or the corruption will take over once more."

"Balanced." You whisper. "If I destroy them, there will be no more to existence."

Sans runs a hand over his skull and sighs. "We can't let what happened before happen again. I just... I'm getting more flashbacks to the other reality, Chara. I don't think I have what it takes to hold out again..." He fades out. "She killed Papyrus. He let her kill him. He just...gave up."

"I will fix this." You tell him. You would do anything for him. Anything to make up for your sins.

"You need to _destroy_ her." He says, looking hard at you.

"I..."

"Don't think about me, or the monsters, or anyone else. Just end this. You're the only one who can finally end this, Chara. We've tried restarting reality, we've tried letting a young Frisk make the decisions, we've tried and tried and tried... And I'm done trying. I can't take this anymore."

"I will end this." You tell him.

Sans relaxes, closing his eyes as he sighs and relief visibly floods him.

"Thank you." He whispers before slowly fading into the void.

You feel so much worse with him gone.

He's going to die and there's nothing you can do to stop it. What's worse, you caused it by restarting the world again.

You steel your soul, mustering your rage again. You will be ready to face her. The one who stole your name.

....

You're having trouble thinking clearly when you feel her kill Sans. You couldn't bring yourself to watch this time. You're too exhausted to feel anything but hate. He fought her for weeks worth of resets but eventually, he was right. She killed him.

Your power has grown now too, though you are not as strong as you once were. You are just barely strong enough to steal her away from reality when she cuts down Flowey. Your sad, tortured, anguished Flowey.

She's been expecting this. Though she is a child, she has the maturity and hardness in her eyes of a seasoned murderer. Eyes that once stared back at you in the mirror. She smiles at you this time.

For a moment you can't speak. All you can do is smile, knowing what you have planned.

"Greetings." You begin. "I, am Chara. 'Chara'. The demon that comes when people call its name."

She blinks a few times in surprise. She hadn't expected this. You can see it on her face. Demon? It almost makes you laugh. You have the power to shape reality, to take her soul. What else could you possibly be?

"It doesn't matter when. It doesn't matter where. Time after time. I will appear." Your strength is returning rapidly and your words sound like the warning you intended them to. "And, with your help. We will eradicate the enemy and become strong. HP. ATK. DEF. GOLD. EXP. LV. Every time a number increases, that feeling... That's me. 'Chara'."

Recognition flashes in her eyes.

"But. You and I are not the same. Are we?"

She's confused again. She doesn't like that you have changed your speech. She was expecting this part to be the same. Well.. she's in for quite the surprise.

"This SOUL resonates with a strange feeling. There is a reason you continue to recreate this world. There is a reason you continue to destroy it."

You have her full attention now.

"You." The word is filled with venom. You know this feeling and you despise it. "You are wracked with a perverted sentimentality. Hm. I cannot understand these feelings any more." You have long grown weary of the lust for blood and torture. You only wish for peace and quiet now.

"Despite this..." You continue. "I feel obligated to to suggest. Should you choose to create this world once more. Another path would be better suited."

She seems unsatisfied with the suggestion. And you know what you will do now.

"Now, partner..." You can see the light begin to dance in her eyes, she's been waiting for you to reach this point the entire time. "Let us send this world back into the abyss."

She eagerly agrees to erase this world.

"Right. You are a _great_ partner." You feel your body begin to fade.

"We'll be together forever, won't we?" You ask before you cut her down.

Her soul is easy to absorb, the writhing monsters still make you shudder but the power is so easy to take. That familiar blue and gold spark stands out among the many. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't let his 'self' be taken into the mass of anguish surrounding him.

You smile.

He will be so mad that you betrayed him. But you never lied.

You will end this, just like you promised.

You will end this. Not with a fight, not with death, but with love. And not LV...real love, compassion, kindness. You will drag your world-weary soul one final time through the underground. This will be the ONLY timeline that you travel through and lead the monsters to the surface without resetting. You will end this. The world will live on, finally.

 

****

 

It has been over two years since you went to the underground. You are still deeply upset that you couldn't find Asriel. You had searched several times for him, you looked after he broke the barrier. But he was no where.

It was the only time you had been tempted to reset, just to stop him from leaving you. It was so hard not knowing what had happened to him.

You are still learning to relinquish your power over manipulating time it seems.

Sans had the strangest flash of recognition when you first met him this timeline. You couldn't manage a smile for him, but you could easily see through the smile plastered on his face. Shaking his hand with the whoopie cushion had startled you into laughter. He had never done that to you before.

Of all the people and monsters you knew, he was the only one who could make you smile.

You live with Toriel. She mothers you even though you are technically an adult now, but you don't mind. Frisks' adoptive parents were relieved to hear you were alive and shocked to hear about where you'd vanished to. The legal papers had fallen through after she ran away and you politely explained you were happier staying with Toriel.

You try to maintain contact with them, but it is exhausting and eventually fades when they acquire a child of their own.

You sigh, looking out the window. You manage a weak smile for the rain cascading outside. The rain calms you. A few blocks down the road you can make out the new school where Toriel teaches. This body is too old to attend, it turned 17 while under the mountain. It didn't feel like it, but you were down there for nearly three years.

It was hard to keep track of time this timeline. Frisks' memories intermingle with yours. You are the stronger soul in this fusion. It seemed taking control of her body had returned you to a slightly younger version of the body you had when you two were Karrin. Frisk had waited until she was nearly fourteen before venturing underground. She wanted to be older, pushing her age up each time she jumped back to before her fall.

Seems she really wanted to be Karrin again.

You are glad you made this decision before she became stronger than you. Something about being older made her soul harder, her will stronger, her desire to murder impossible to snuff out. This time she was not as young as you made her, and not nearly as old as your previous life. For some reason, the balance between the two seemed appropriate.

Sometimes you wondered if there were other incarnations.

You hope you are the last.

Toriel calls your name, your real name, and you turn from your window.

"You have a visitor." Toriel tells you sweetly, opening your door.

You slowly stand from your desk, your mouth falls open. You hadn't seen him since you left the underground.

Sans.

Toriel instantly picks up on the tension and excuses herself.

He's dressed differently than the last time you saw him. You realize this makes sense for anyone but him. He's wearing dark-wash jeans with a frayed tear in the right knee, worn tennis shoes and a dark blue overcoat zipped up. His hands are in stuffed in his coat pockets. You don't see an umbrella or raincoat but there isn't a drop of rain on him.

"Heya."

Your heart jumps to your throat. "Hi." You breathe.

You want to do so many different things at once your brain can't decide. You want to run forward and kiss him, you want to fall to your knees and cry, you want to hold him and beg him to never leave you again. But a part of you knows you can't do any of those things anymore.

He's different now, and so are you.

You both stare at each other, waiting to gauge the others reaction. You can feel a cold sweat on the back of your neck.

"You're at the same age Karrin was when she first came to the underground. After Chara's first failed attempt to reset everything."

Your hear skips a beat when you hear that name. You look away with a shudder. How you loathed that name.

"Its the longest the world has gone without being reset. There wasn't even a reset when you traveled through the underground, you didn't die once. I didn't think that was a coincidence." Sans growls.

You look back at him. His eyes have gone black where he stands in the doorway. Thunder crashes outside. "I came to see who you are this time."

You close your eyes. "I am..." There are so many things you want to say. Your eyebrows furrow together. You don't deserve to have that relief. "I am tired, Sans." You reply opening your eyes again.

Lightning flashes again and Sans' pupils have returned. "Me too, kiddo." He shakes his head and looks away for a moment. "But that doesn't answer my question."

"This body...is Karrin's. The dominant soul in this body is Chara, the younger Frisk is in here but she's resigned herself to the quiet life. I was the one who was given the power of all the souls in the underground, who held 20 human souls at once and recreated everything. I am the one who you last spoke to in the void. I took Frisk's soul and all the monsters she consumed and reset, wiped everyone's memories...one final time."

The exhaustion you often feel when you think of the previous worlds is creeping up on you again. "I took control from her because she had the chance to be good and she squandered it. I trusted her to take care of you...to take the monsters to the surface and she not only failed, she began down the same path that led us to restart the world to begin with."

You weakly shake the millennia of weariness from your young body and continue. "This is the final time, Sans. No more resets. No more fighting. I lack the DETERMINATION to continue after I leave this mortal coil." You blink away tears. You haven't cried in this world. The last time you cried was saying goodbye to Sans in the veil.

"I..." You sob suddenly, surprising yourself. "I'm so tired, Sans. I'm so tired." You cover your face with your hands and quietly cry.

You jump in shock when you feel a warm embrace. You don't believe it when you look up. Sans is holding you close. You cry harder, gripping him tightly and tucking your face against his chest. Sans hugs you tighter.

"I checked on you often, in the underground." He tells you. You stifle your sobs, its been so long since you had emotions you couldn't control. "I always did. To be sure you were safe...but...also to know which version of you we were dealing with. I just have to know before you get too far who you really are so I can be prepared."

Sans is very still. The thunder rolls again outside. "I saw a kindred spirit this time, someone who..." The only sound you can hear is the pounding of your heart. "Well, that's why I came today. You were too familiar. I waited for the reset after we got to the surface. I woke up every morning expecting to be back in Snowdin with only a hazy recollection of the sun. Eventually I did the math and decided today would be the day I finally come see you. The day Karrin had first fallen."

You shudder in his arms.

"I should just kill you. That's the smart thing to do, right?"

"You should. The world would finally go on. It's a much better place without me anyway."

He reflexively grips you tighter. "Don't." He whispers. You can barely breathe. "Don't ever... Don't ever say that again."

You find yourself blinking back tears again. "I didn't say it was the easy thing to do." He adds, tucking his chin into your shoulder. "Ev...every time I had to kill you, I prayed for a reset so I could forget it."

You close your eyes, breathing in the smell of cedar. Even on the surface he still smells the same. "Tell me this is really the end. Tell me we're finally moving forward."

You nod. "This is it, Sans."

"No matter what? No upsetting the timeline? Not even when one of us dies?"

It hurts to say it. "Not even if you died in my arms, Sans. It's time we finally have Undyne's thirtieth birthday party."

He laughs. It's loud and genuine. Sans pulls back, smiling as he brushes the tears from your cheeks with his thumbs. He slowly leans in and kisses you.

It's like your heart has re-started. Butterflies squirm in your stomach.

"Sans? Are you staying for di-? Ugh! Finally!" You both jump when you hear Toriel. Sans looks back with a blank expression and you can feel your face burning.

Toriel is chuckling. "I was coming to lock the door and make you two talk this out. You think you are the only ones who can remember the other world? Actually..." She smiles broadly and pulls the door shut. You can hear her prop something against the door outside.

"Tori?!" You yell, mortified as you run forward to pull on the knob. It doesn't budge. You can hear her laughing loudly out in the hall.

"I am going to message everyone. Alphys has been messaging me daily about this." You hear her call to you both as she descends the stairs.

You groan and lean into the door before turning to look back at Sans. He's awkwardly standing with his hands in his coat. "Uh, nothing left but to keep moving forward." He says with a forced shrug.

You sigh and sit on the bed, facing the picture window. You watch the rain pound the glass and smile weakly at Sans when he haltingly sits beside you.

You slide a little closer and leave your hands on the bed, chewing your bottom lip nervously. You leave enough space between you two that it's not awkward to be this close. You let him decide if he wants to close the gap.

A few minutes pass before Sans scooches closer, his knee bumps into yours before reflexively pulling back.

You concentrate hard on the rain. The rivulets trailing down the massive window are an easy distraction.

"It's beautiful outside." You tell him.

"Mmhm." He agrees.

Your heart pounds hard when you feel his warm fingertips brush yours hesitantly. You've never felt his skin warm. It's always been cool to the touch. His fingers slowly twitch over the back of your hand and you turn your palm up. Your mouth is dry when his fingers interlace with yours.

You both grip each other tightly.

*A deep warmth floods your veins... You have been SAVED.

"Whoa..." Sans whispers.

You see something flicker from the edge of your vision. You look down at your chest where a pulsing red heart presses against your shirt. You don't let go of Sans' hand but you pull the collar of your shirt down, tearing the fabric.

Your soul has a weak glow. This timeline it has been barely strong enough to persist through the underground. It slowly pulses three times, each time a translucent copy slowly drifts in front of it and overlaying cracks are revealed in your original soul.

A distant timeline's words drift to you. _Even you've been damaged beyond repair..._

Three souls? What on earth did that mean? After a brief moment the three shadows become opaque, glowing brightly and layer gently on top of your cracked soul.

You give a shuddering gasp when your soul releases a bright flash of light and slams into your sternum. You clutch your chest and try to catch your breath. Your body trembles with the pulsing energy inside.

Sans turns you to face him, grabbing your shoulders. "Breathe, you have to breathe." He tells you calmly but sternly. You gasp for air in short bursts. "Deep breaths." He corrects himself.

After a few minutes you're breathing normally again. Your body feels lighter. The weight of your memories is still there but you feel strong enough to carry it now.

Sans is running his hands quickly up and down your biceps, he smiles weakly. "How do you feel?" He asks.

Your mind is quiet. There are no lingering incarnations. It's just...you.

Your eyes brim again with tears as you throw your arms around Sans' neck. He grunts in surprise but quickly relaxes, hugging you back. "It's okay, kid." He says, kissing your ear.

"I feel like I'm finally home."

 


	22. Chapter 22

What world do you want to create?

Sans' *Chara's

 

Do you think Frisk can be good?

Yes *No

 

*You can do better

 

****

 

You can feel something.

This is mildly intriguing, you haven't felt anything for eons. What is this?

*

There's a flash of something bright red. That feeling is stronger now. Your mind begins to wake.

*

There are screams now, surprise and anguish. Fear. The same feeling is even stronger. Its... You've almost forgotten the word for it, you had been resting in darkness for so long.

Rage. A blinding, invigorating rage.

You want to hang on to that feeling, it made you feel alive again! But you are too exhausted to grip it.

*

You can see. It takes you a little while to adjust to the long-forgotten sense. You're watching the world through someone elses' eyes. You know this because you cannot control their actions.

The creatures you see, they are familiar. They spark emotions of recognition in you, the real you.

Monsters? No. These are not monsters, though they call themselves this. These are friends. Family.

That rage builds again and you can focus it now. You continue to see flashes, glimpses of the horrors being committed. Your rage grows with each death. You can speak to her, the one that's systematically killing the monsters.

Your connection with her is suddenly taut. Just in time to see Toriel's home in the ruins. You encourage her, pushing her to keep going.

You feel so alive.

*

You give her advice, telling her the weak points of the monsters she faces. Anything to keep this game going. She seems to enjoy having the company of a like mind.

A thrill of excitement floods you both when she reaches the castle. Your torn viciously to the void when you see Flowey on the path.

*

You are too excited to be shocked when limbs begin to form in the darkness. So many new sensations in this timeline. You'd never felt like this before! In what feels like a blink, your body has returned.

You remember this body well. But you know it is only an illusion. You have no lungs to breathe, no heart that beats, but you have eyes to see and hands to touch.

You smile. It feels so foreign after so long.

Something flickers before you.

A very familiar silhouette struggles to retain its shape.

Your soul aches at the smell of cedar.

"Sans." The word is a just above a breath.

A small, agonizingly familiar chuckle. "Heh."

A short sigh and the form is more solid now. Your rage has subsided and you have to concentrate to keep your body. You had forgotten the effect he had on you. This pain in your chest, it's like a crushing weight.

He's standing with his hands in his coat. He looks so tired, more tired than you can remember. You reach forward to touch him but he backs away.

You let your arm fall. You sneer, scoffing as you turn away from him. Suddenly he was too good for you? He was just as bad as you used to be.

"I...I finally remember." Sans tells you. "I remember the last universe. I remember _you."_ His form flickers as he glares at you.

You give a breathless sigh when images flash behind your eyes. It floods you all at once. Your endless timelines, the years and years of death, torture and fighting. And the few and far between happy timelines, where you made your way to the surface with the monsters....only to return.

You shudder. You alone had ended the world. And you alone had suffered through the endless void, slowly fading into a dark, peaceful slumber. For eons you feared you succeeded in erasing yourself from existence. But you briefly returned to reality beginning with your birth. Your memories of the void and the other worlds were too vast for your infant brain, they faded until you fell into the underground. Cracking your skull in the pit was enough to see through the holes in time and space.

You only spent a few years with your family before you sacrificed yourself for the monsters. You knew you had to tip the first domino for Frisk to return. You made her younger this time, your uncertainty was obviously unwarranted.

A sinister giggle escapes you.

"I should have known you wouldn't make it. No one's sanity can survive that kind of burden." Sans shakes his head, looking away from you sadly.

"Oh...Sansy." He jumps at the sing-song tone of your voice. His pupils are gone when he haltingly turns back to you. "I was _never_ sane." Your rage is boiling once more, you feel your soul pulse with the energy.

"Chara, no." He flickers. "You can't give up!"

"Why not?" You shiver in delight. "Oh Sans, it's so much easier just to give in! I haven't felt like this. Soon Frisk and I will fuse again and we'll tear this world apart once more. You'll have so much fun if you just give in too. C'mon Sansy."

"It's been you. This whole time, it's always been you!"

You shrug and beam. "Guilty!" You sing.

"I'm going to kill her. And I'm going to erase you from existence. I've done it before, I can do it again." Sans growls.

"Not even Gaster with the power of 18 human souls could manage to erase me. No one can, Sans. I'm a glitch, an impossibility. I CAN'T DIE! I can never rest, I can never end." You're panting hard, laughing at the true terror on his face. "I am eternal. I am everyone. Everywhere. You can run, but you can never hide from me, Sans."

"I'm going to destroy you both. You fucking psychopath."

"Aw, darling you're too sweet. I look forward to seeing you again, _sweetheart."_

He vanishes from the void.

You feel so much worse with him gone.

*

The final fight is exhilarating, draining, intense. Frisk fights hard, you're both growing frustrated at just how challenging he really is to battle against.

When he offers mercy something sparks in you both.

The faintest sun-soaked memory... Laughter, happiness.

"C'mon buddy, pal. It's me... remember?"

You push Frisk to attack again. He was trying to trick you both. You want control again. You will get him in the end. He will belong to you once more.

You lose track of how many times Frisk dies, eventually Sans admits the same. But you know every time he cuts her down it's another knife in his heart. Soon he will run out of the energy needed for vengeance.

At his weakest moment in the fight you quietly urge Frisk to be patient. She's bristling with excitement, her body broken and agonized.

She carefully, quietly breaks free of the invisible grip of the battlefield and attacks him. She gasps when you take control, slashing at Sans when he dodges her first swing. Normally she swings the second time, but you couldn't help yourself.

Sans takes a long time to die.

For it being a fatal wound and only having one HP he manages to stay whole for much longer than you expected.

"Don't say...I didn't warn ya."

Psh. That comedian.

You feel Frisk's power surge when he finally dies. It connects to you too. You almost feel whole again. You finally can manifest outside of Frisk's body.

You sigh down in happiness at your own transparent hands, flexing them.

So close. Frisk just had to get to the throne room where Flowey was. Then you two could fuse and oh the fun you would have...

But something's wrong with Frisk.

She hits the floor of the judgement hall on her hands and knees, trembling.

 _*GET UP!_   You urge.

She wheezes, coughing as one hand clutches at her chest. She leans back on her calves and looks up at you. Her soul is burning bright through her fingers. You scoff, rolling your eyes. Ugh.

 _*Its from absorbing him. He always fights._ You explain. _*Now lets..._ You fade out when the color of her soul suddenly flashes white as it shatters.

You roll your eyes again, putting your hands on your hips. Frisk falls forward limp, landing with a sickening smack against the hard tile of the hall. You wait for a long moment for the reset.

But it doesn't come.

You begin to wonder what's happening when a chill crawls down your spine. You freeze. You don't want to turn around, you don't know what you'll see.

"Seven."

Though you have no throat, you still gulp nervously. A small tremble has started in your limbs as you force yourself to turn.

A transparent Sans stands with a crooked smile, his hands hang casually in his coat pockets. "It really only takes the concentrated effort of two human souls to alter reality. But two alone can never agree on what to do. Seven. That magic number. It's enough to overwhelm the individual personality differences."

His smile fades, his expression tired.

"I never wanted this. I just thought you should know that. The real you, the one I used to know. Goodbye, Chara."

You rush toward him as his left eye flashes brilliantly, strobing with the colors of the souls in him. But it's too late.

This world dies in a wash of cold, icy black.

And it was all your fault.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was how Karrin began her rampage. Only Sans didn't stop Frisk before she met Chara. This time he does, and he erases the world before letting the souls go. No way would he take another chance. I get the impression Sans would wipe out the game if he could, he'd just need the right motivation.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Torture and gore warning for this chapter.

What world do you want to create?

*Sans'  Chara's

 

Do you think Frisk can be good?

*Yes  No

 

*Everyone deserves a happy ending

 

****

 

You reach into the broken well of DETERMINATION in you and focus intensely. You visualize the world you want to make. You can see it begin to materialize, thought into reality. The scrolling code flickers and fades into the shapes and faces of people you loved, and people you've never met.

Tears stream as you laugh in relief.

Years, millennia of events flash before you. The souls within you being to drift away. Slowly they return to their rightful places in time and space until you are alone again.

You stare out at the world and laugh again. You wipe tears from your cheeks and finally let yourself rest. You close your eyes and feel the weight of the past reality lifting from your shoulders.

You'll wake in your rightful place when the time is right.

 

****

 

Hands urge you awake. You groan and roll over in bed, pulling the blanket over your head. "Ugh...just twenty more minutes, please."

A quiet huff of impatience. The hands shake your shoulders harder. "Fine! I'm awake!" You concede and throw the blanket off of you. A happy face with full-cheeks stares down at you. She smiles so broadly her brown eyes close. She leans forward and kisses your forehead, wrapping her arms around your neck.

"Ugh, Frisk. No contact before coffee."

She shakes her head against your neck, gripping you tighter. You shove her off you with a laugh and roll out of bed. "You sure it's today?" You ask, stretching your arms over your head.

She frowns at you and points to the calendar taped to the wall. The date, today's date, has been circled repeatedly in red marker. She's already dressed in black tights, denim shorts and a baggy striped sweater.

You sigh and walk across the small apartment to the bathroom. It was a god-awful, tiny, shit-box of an illegal loft. But being runaways who refused to turn tricks meant you didn't have much money to spare. And it was only a hundred bucks a month for two hundred square feet and a door with a lock.

"Yeah, I'll get ready." You assure her, yawning and rubbing the sleep from your eyes. She bounces from the bed and chases after you with a pile of clothes in her arms.

"Really?" You ask, looking down at the clothes with a grimace. You put them on the sink and she signs at you. _Earthy colors look good on you. They make you look less pale!_ You begrudgingly agree and pull the curtain that separates the bathroom from the rest of the apartment.

You quickly brush your long hair and change into the clothes Frisk picked, brown tights, brown shorts, a green and yellow striped sweater. You throw back the curtain. Frisk claps excitedly.

You roll your eyes but can't stop yourself from smiling. "Sure we're really related?" You comment as she does a little dance. You walk by her and head for the coffee pot. She had a fresh pot made already.

"You're so awesome." You tell her as you pour a mug of coffee.

 _I learn it from you a-n-e_. She has to spell out the nickname she'd given you. It was "big sister" in Japanese. You snort at her.

She was your fraternal twin. You were older than her by fifteen minutes. You were pretty sure you two were one of those rare twins with different dads and the same mom because you were thinner, taller, paler and more angular than her. Frisk came to your chin, was three sizes bigger than you and actually had curves and an envious golden-tan to her skin. She also actually had boobs, you had to wear sports bras because even a-cups were too big. Plus you had red eyes and she had rich, chocolate-brown eyes.

The differences didn't end physically either. You two had starkly different personalities. She was bubbly, bright and energetic. You barely had the patience to carry a conversation with anyone but her.

Through all the foster homes you'd only been separated once in the past sixteen years. That was six months of living hell. You'd been to some bad places, but without your sister there even the nicest of homes were unbearable. You don't know where Frisk went but she didn't talk after she came back from wherever she'd been. You threatened to eviscerate the next person who dared to take her from you again. And hearing a six-year-old spit the word 'eviscerate' with enough venom to kill a cobra was all the convincing anyone needed to keep you two together.

You finish your coffee and shove the insistent memories away. Those were in the past, no one was taking your sister again. No one was hurting your sister again...

Frisk pulls on your hand when you drop the mug into the sink. "The mountain isn't going anywhere, nugget." You joke as she pulls you out of the small apartment. She's too excited to make her usual disgruntled face at her nickname. You barely manage to lock the door before she's jerking you down the stairs.

There wasn't enough money to spare for a taxi so you two hoof it through the outskirts of town toward Mount Ebott. You had no idea what her fascination was with this place, but every year two months before your birthday, she drags you up the mountain.

Frisk turns to you with a broad smile when you start on the trail. Tag! She signs before smacking your arm and sprinting into the woods. It always surprised you how quick Frisk could scurry.

"Oh you're dead!" You yell as you run after her. You chase her through the trees, darting and jumping. Shit she was quick! But you were hot on her heels. You stretch your arm out, your hand brushes her hair. Just a little...faster.

You yelp in surprise when she suddenly backpedals. There was a park service sign in front of her that she'd nearly run into. You can't react as quickly and you bowl into her, knocking you both over the sign. "Frisk!" You yell as you lose your footing. You grab at her arm trying to stop your fall but she's off balance too. The two of you tumble to the ground. But there is no ground.

 

****

 

_Cool hands on your skin. They feel like silk...they feel incredible. Sparks dance under your skin from the touch._

_Screaming. Anguished and desperate._

_A growing sound like TV static rings in your ears._

_Cold kiss..._

_Flashes of red and gray. More screaming._

_...._

_A voice cuts through the static._

_"Wake up."_

 

****

 

You inhale sharply, sitting up hard. You groan when your vision swims.

Frisk looks worried. She grimaces and holds your head steady. Her eyes widen when she pulls a hand back covered in blood.

"That's...not good." You mumble before falling into her arms.

She smacks at your face, trying to keep you awake. You struggle to keep your eyes open.

Where are you? Sunlight shines, but it's only in a circle around you two. You manage to sit up, craning your head back. You were in the bottom of an impossibly deep hole. It was cavernous, no way to scale back up to the surface.

"A-are you g-guys alright?" A soft voice asks from your right.

Frisks' grip on your arms tightens. She's glaring suspiciously at the shadows. You sway a little and blink hard. "Who's...th...there?" You ask.

You can't believe your eyes. You must be hallucinating. A humanoid lamb-creature has stepped from the dark. It's wearing a striped shirt like you and Frisk, and pants with no shoes. It has white fur, tiny horns, a snout, long floppy ears like a blood-hound, and red eyes.

Brother...

A S R I E L .

You gasp and turn to look behind you. What the fuck was that?! Who said that?

Ugh. Bad idea. You vomit and Frisk taps her hands against your arms in panic. "Oh no! She's bleeding." The lamb comes scurrying from the sidelines into the sunlight. His white fur catches too brightly in the sun and you wince.

His paw gently grabs your right arm. "My parents can help her." He pulls your arm over his shoulders. Frisk hesitates before grabbing your left arm and doing the same. "One, two, three." They both stand, but they're too short for you to stretch your legs fully to walk.

You laugh as your head lolls forward. Your vision is stolen in a wave of black.

 

****

 

"Poor thing..." A warm hand brushes your cheek. "Oh do not worry child, Dr. Gaster will return shortly and I am certain she will get a clean bill of health."

You blink blearily. You wince at the bright artificial light that burns your eyes and close them.

You feel Frisk tap your arm rapidly in worry. You reach up and grip her hand in yours. "Awfully bright." You manage through gritted teeth.

"Oh!" The heat of the light is gone and you cautiously open your eyes. You lean back in surprise, pressing yourself deeper into the soft surface you were lying on.

A larger sheep or goat thing was smiling kindly down at you. You frown up at them and look at Frisk. She smiles, gripping your hand tightly. It looks like she's been crying. "What...?"

"I am Toriel. Hello! Your sister told me you are called, Chara?"

You can't reply so you stare silently back at her.

"Um, you have met my son already, Asriel." She beckons the smaller goat (yeah they were goats, not sheep, they had horns. Sheep didn't have horns.) to her. "Are you feeling better?" He asks.

You still don't know what to say. You're feeling pretty overwhelmed. "What's happening?" You ask.

"You and your sister fell through a cavern. You are in the underground. We are monsters, we were placed behind a barrier many years ago and we have lived here ever since!" Asriel replies.

You struggle to sit up. It looked like you were in a cozy bedroom. It was nicer than any you'd ever seen. "You sure sound chipper about it." Frisk makes a face at your tone. "Um sorry. I mean, thank you for..." You feel a warmth on your forehead and you reach tentatively up to touch it. A thick bandage has been wrapped around your head. "Helping us."

Toriel smiles brightly, Asriel's smile matches hers. "Well of course, children." She turns when the door opens. You struggle to keep your face blank but your hand grips Frisk's tightly. She pats your hand gently.

You glance at her and see the same anxiety crinkling around her eyes. She disliked them too.

"Oh, this is Dr. Gaster. The royal scientist and best medical doctor in the underground." Toriel brightly introduces him.

He is tall, lanky. But what else would you expect a walking skeleton to look like? Glasses sit on his face...somehow. White pupils look at you curiously from within black sockets. He has a smooth face with a kind smile.

He signs at you to communicate. _Ah, glad to see you are awake. I was beginning to worry. How are you feeling?_ You blink back at him for a moment.

You were insane. That was the only explanation. You'd gone insane.

You shake your head and regret it. Your vision swims but you pull your hand from Frisk to sign back while you talk. "I'm feeling dizzy. I guess I hit my head pretty hard? I threw-up before Frisk and Asriel helped me to my feet."

 _Yes, Frisk explained that. You have a mild concussion. Since you are communicating so effectively I will expect you to make a full recovery in a few days._ He smiles before he adds. I am adept at reading lips if you prefer to talk instead.

You continue to sign. "I don't get to practice often. I need to stay sharp for Frisk."

He laughs silently, the same way Frisk does. A gentle shaking of his shoulder and a broadening of his smile.

 _Frisk?_ He signs at your sister. _She will need to be woken once every hour tonight when she sleeps. Can you do that?_

Frisk nods and Dr. Gaster steps across the room and takes Toriel's spot at the edge of the bed. _I need to check your pupils' response and I need you to follow the end of my finger with your eyes._

You nod and follow his boney finger. He takes a penlight from his lab coat and briefly shines it in your eyes. You fight back the urge to wince.

 _Good responses. I recommend rest and plenty of fluids. Just take it easy for a little while._ He smiles and stands after you nod. He waves to Asriel before he leaves the room.

"Asgore has set the table if you are hungry, children."

You look at Frisk, you can't believe the kindness of these strangers. Were they going to chop you all up and make you into chili? Also...monsters were real? Frisk beams and nods emphatically.

Way to stay strong Frisk.

 

*

 

That night you and Frisk sleep in the "guest room". You get the feeling its Toriels room by the snail decor, who you found out was the Queen of the underground. Asgore was a positively massive goat monster too, he was the king of the monsters.

Asriel and Frisk had carried you all the way across the underground to the castle. Though according to Frisk, Asriel had carried you in his arms when she got too tired.

The bed is big. Bigger than you've ever slept in. You and Frisk can stretch out comfortably for the first time in your lives. She had always been pretty clingy, but tonight she demands you hold her. She didn't like sleeping in new places, and even though she liked the monsters she was still terrified of sleep.

You really hoped that one day you found out who hurt her so you could make them hurt even more.

"What do you think of this place, Frisk? Is...is any of this real?"

She looks up at you curiously. She nods. _Of course it's real, don't you remember?_

"Remember?"

_The story! The story of the mountain?_

You shake your head and she rolls her eyes.

_You know the story. Humanity fought monsters and humans banished monsters underground. This massive mountain is their home! It was a long time ago. Somehow we fell through a hole that was outside the barrier that prevents monsters from leaving and humans from entering. Asriel saw us and was just as surprised as we were. We're the first humans to come here!_

Asriel... That name nagged at your mind. Why?

Frisk sets the alarm on her watch for an hour and urges you to go to sleep. You roll your eyes as she turns over. She never liked her back exposed. You rest your arm over her waist and stare at the door.

You pretend to sleep soundly when Frisks' alarm goes off and she turns to wake you up. You don't sleep at all that night. Or the next.

The third night you finally sleep after Frisk tells Dr. Gaster you weren't sleeping well. Being the unsettlingly perceptive monster he is, he quickly realized you weren't sleeping at all. He mildly threatened to sedate you if your insomnia continued.

You're too exhausted to fight sleep any longer when you curl into bed that night.

 

*

 

_A misty blue..._

_Screaming._

_Wicked laughter._

_Flashes of red and gray. Swirls of dust that freeze and reverse direction._

_A bright flash of white and it's like nothing happened..._

_The laughter continues._

_Red and gray explodes in a swirl of dust._

_A flash of white._

_Begging, pleading for mercy._

_That laughter rolls like thunder._

 

*

 

You sit up in bed drenched in sweat.

Frisk isn't beside you.

"Frisk?!" You yell, jumping out of bed. You run down the hall to the living room. Frisk is sitting with Toriel and Asgore on the couch, watching Asriel recite something. He's wearing a cape and paper crown.

Frisk jumps up when she hears you slump against the wall in relief. She pulls you into a hug when you being to shake. "Thought you were gone." You whisper into her shoulder. She pats your back, stroking your hair flat.

You look down at her and she smiles. _Nonsense. You needed sleep, so I let you sleep._

"Would you like some tea, Chara?" Asgore asks.

You nod, forcing a smile.

When you look at Asriel you jump. Something flashes behind your eyes. You see him...smaller. You groan and hold a hand to your suddenly throbbing head. You close your eyes and see him crying.

You feel a warm paw grab your shoulders and guide you forward. "Come on child, sit. It is alright."

Images continue to flash, your skull pulses with pain. Frisks' hands tap frantically at your arm. But slowly the sensation dies away under the screech of static.

 

*

 

_Flowers. Big and yellow. They all turn to you with an innocent smile. You scream when the smiles grow into something fanged and horrific. "No one will ever hear you scream!" They all chant at once._

_Monsters you've never seen begin to replace the flowers. They burst into a billow of dust one at a time. The dust solidifies forming numbers, stretching up into the blackness overhead._

_One flower is left, smiling wickedly at you._

_"No one gets a happy ending."_

 

*

 

You open your eyes as the throbbing in your mind fades.

Frisk is holding you tightly, staring up at you with wide eyes. Toriel has a paw over her mouth. "Chara, are you alright?" She asks gently.

You press the palm of your hand against your forehead and nod. "Y-yeah. I think it's just my head."

"We should take you to see Dr. Gaster."

"No!" Toriel and Frisk both jump at the fear in your voice. "No, I'm fine." You add more calmly, running your hand through your hair. "I-I think Asgore's tea will be just fine."

Toriel smiles brightly. "That sounds like a fantastic idea, Chara. Just one moment."

You sigh and sag into the couch when Toriel walks to the kitchen.

 _What happened?_ Frisk asks.

You hold a hand to your face again and she pulls it away, staring expectantly. You force a smile but she frowns, immediately seeing through you. She pokes your chest and her eyebrows rise in expectant frustration.

"I dunno, Frisk. I saw..." You fade out and begin to sign. _I keep seeing weird things. When I sleep, just now, and this whole place makes me feel..._

Frisk pats your thigh and smiles weakly. _It's okay. You always forget, but eventually you remember everything._

You blink back at Frisk as a chill runs down your spine. "What are you talking about?"

She tilts her head innocently. _You'll know soon, Ane._

Toriel returns from the kitchen with a tea platter in her paws. Frisk beams at you before bouncing off the couch to help Toriel set the platter on the table.

You jump when the front door opens. A deep unease turns your stomach. Asriel and Asgore step through the entrance, laughing happily. The color drains from your face and you shakily stand to check the kitchen.

There isn't a door outside from the kitchen.

"You two are just in time! I made tea and sandwiches." You turn with wide eyes to see Toriel embrace Asgore. Asriel skirts by her to sit beside Frisk at the table.

Asgore lays his chin affectionately over Toriels snout and she giggles. "Did you two have fun?" She asks, playfully patting his chest before turning to the table. Frisk happily pours everyone tea.

She looks up at you with an unnerving smile. There's a sharpness to her eyes that you've never seen before. A deep, cutting insight. She knew something impossible had just happened.

Your heart pounds in your chest and you feel a cold sweat break over your skin. The look is gone when Frisk blinks, laughing silently at something Asriel said. She glances up at you curiously as she pours a cup of tea before setting the tea pot down.

She pats the empty chair beside her as she stirs in sugar for you.

You quietly sip the sharp citrus tea Toriel made and watch the others chat happily. Inside you feel like something is missing, something is wrong.

 

****

 

You wake up in a sterile room. The white light above is blinding.

Wincing you cover your eyes as you sit up. You're on a cold metal table. It reminds you of an autopsy table and you immediately jump off of it.

"H-hey, easy th-there." A hesitant voice scolds you.

You jump and turn, your fists up and clenched.

A curvy, short yellow monster looks at you fearfully behind glasses. Your head tilts as you let your hands fall to your sides. They have scaled skin, a reptilian face with three scaled horns on the back of their head and a short snout with several teeth sticking out. A thick, short tail pokes out from under a white lab coat at their feet...which are massive claws.

"Have...I met you before?" You ask.

The fear in their eyes fades to confusion. "Y-yes. I'm Dr. Alphys, Dr. Gasters assistant. How are you f-feeling?"

You run your hands through your hair and close your eyes against a sharp pain in your skull. That's right, you came to talk to Dr. Gaster because you hadn't been sleeping well. He wasn't there so Dr. Alphys offered to help.

"Sorry, that's right." You force a smile. "I must've passed-out again."

She nods with concern. "I'm af-afraid so. But it wasn't for long. C-come with me, Dr. Gaster sh-should be finished soon." She gestures quickly for you to follow her.

You follow after her down a narrow hallway. You glance back at the room you woke in one last time, looking up suspiciously at the silvery tubes in the ceiling.

Your skin feels hot, your throat parched. The hallway is longer than you expected. You pass under lights that turn off when you get a certain distance away. It feels like darkness is creeping up on you every time one goes out.

Finally you reach a fork in the hall and Alphys turns right. You step into the main part of the lab, the cozier part. You drop heavily onto the couch beside the door, it felt amazingly soft. It was so nice it was like you hadn't relaxed in weeks.

Alphys stammers, glancing between you and the main door. "I hate to be a bother, but...could I get something to drink? My throat's killing me." She smiles weakly and nods, turning away from you with a tiredness in her posture.

Why did she take you all the way downstairs if you had passed out?

A sharp pain through your skull and a high-pitched whine makes the room swim with color. You close your eyes against the spots dancing in your vision.

Oh, right. She took you down so you could look for Dr. Gaster.

It worried you that your head was still hurting so painfully. You had been down here for nearly a month, but it felt like so much longer. There was no way to break the barrier according to the monsters.

Asgore had taken you and Frisk to see it, the very edge of the underground. The barrier pulsed with a humming light. When you tried to touch it it was like putting your hand against glass. A hollow sound echoed from your touch. The hole to the surface where you and Frisk had fallen was hundreds of feet in the air with nothing to anchor to. Asgore pointed to where the barrier began a hundred feet up. Apparently things could enter the barrier, but nothing could leave.

So this was your home now.

But it wasn't like you had much left of your human life. Frisk was happier, if a little creepier at times, down here. But good things had come of it. She hadn't asked you to hold her while she slept in weeks. She was even comfortable enough to sleep on her own sometimes. You blame the somewhat unsettling glances she gives you on her new confidence. She must still be getting used to her new independence, you reason.

You missed the strangest things sometimes. The sun. The smell of asphalt. The sounds of the city. You never realized how comforting those things were until they were gone forever.

Alphys returns to you with a cold soda. You smile in gratitude and she sits a few feet from you on the couch. You rest the sweating bottle against your hot forehead and sigh.

Things were so hard to keep track of with your near-constant insomnia. There had been several more disturbing flashes and memory-lapses. Thinking someone was doing one thing, but it was really another. But you decide these are side-effects of the insomnia. Didn't you read somewhere once that it's possible to have waking dreams when you stop sleeping?

You snort awake when your body begins to lean forward. You sit up and crack open the bottle. The cold soda is like ambrosia on your parched throat.

You freeze at that thought. Whoa, deja vu.

You shrug it off and take a few more sips of soda before sighing. You turn to make small-talk with Alphys when a sudden shouting makes you both jump.

A loud crash from the hall behind you makes you leap to your feet. You take several quick steps back away from the door.

"...ANT JUST FUCK WITH REALITY LIKE THAT!"

That voice...it was so familiar.

You gasp when someone stalks through the doorway. A soft blue and yellow glow vanishes from their left eye before you can be certain you saw it at all. It's another skeleton monster. You've only met Dr. Gaster before now, but he's so familiar to you.

He stops short in confused surprise and you can get a better look at him. One of his boney arms is through his jacket, the other is still reaching behind him for the sleeve. His skull is more round than Gasters', not as jagged and oblong. He's almost your height, maybe an inch or two smaller. One of the few monsters you've met that didn't tower over you.

"Sans!" Alphys cries out in surprise. "You-you're--!"

That name! You groan and struggle to keep your eyes open. It feels like your mind is on fire, but you have to stay up. You have to know who he is.

"Alive? Yeah. How could you let him do that!" He snaps, his jacket falls from his shoulder forgotten. His left arm is covered in thick bandages and hangs stiffly.

"S-Sans what do you mean?" Alphys asks.

"You know damn well..." Sans fades out, his eyes going wide. He shakes himself. "Ugh, nevermind." He growls, reaching back for his jacket again to hide his arm. He glances curiously at you.

That painful whine has returned.

You're breathing hard, pushing yourself to keep standing when Dr. Gaster appears in the doorway. He stops short when he sees you too. Sans glares at him hatefully before turning toward the door.

"Don't _fucking_ touch me!" He snarls, stepping away from Gaster. "I got a word of advice, kid. Run." Sans tells you cryptically before vanishing on the spot in a flash of black.

"Who was that?" You ask.

No one, child. The voice is a crackling echo in your ears, but you know its Dr. Gaster. You sway on the spot, that splitting pain has returned. It feels like your skull is going to crack wide open. Your skin is so hot. You fall to your knees and hold your head in your hands.

Cold hands pull your weak grip away from your hair. Your skin crawls at the contact and you shudder. Those were hands that knew death. Oh God, what was that icy feeling in your chest, clawing at your heart?

You gasp and slap Dr. Gasters hands away from you, falling back on the floor with the effort. On the cold tile you pant. The icy tendrils in your heart fade quickly but leave rolling nausea in its wake.

Gaster kneels on one knee, one leg tucked into his chest, his arm still outstretched to you. He looks briefly down at his hands before his smile fades.

 _My, my, you look exhausted, Chara. You should get some sleep. Was that not why you came today, insomnia? I can fix that._ He smiles, his eyes narrowing just a little too much to be kind. He isn't bothering to sign anymore. Somethings changed.

You struggle to pull yourself back. Its so difficult...your muscles tremble with the effort. Gaster sighs and stands. He easily pulls you, weakly squirming, into his arms. _Rest, Chara. Is that what you have always wanted? Other than your foot on my sons' throat, that is._

You weakly smack his chest. "Why...so creepy?" You manage to ask.

Gaster silently scoffs. Your head lolls back over his arm and you can see Alphys following after you. She locks the door to the lab behind her and stares pointedly at the floor.  
"I-I thought after, after we brought S-Sans back tha-that the human could g-go?" Alphys asks.

Your eyes strain to look up at him, but he doesn't respond to Alphys. She resigns herself and continues to stare at the floor as he continues to carry you through the lab.

_You have been more than useful, so I suppose I owe you an explanation since you do not seem to remember. I recall you having a terrible memory the last time we met. The drawback of being a glitch. Immeasurable knowledge at your fingertips, but no definite way of recalling through each world skip._

His speech prickles at your memory.

"Toriel...?" You ask when he carries you into the same part of the lab you had woken in. He gently lays you on a cold metal table and walks to a computer attached to the wall. Alphys. He gestures at you and she meekly walks up

 _Toriel is unaware of your disappearance. As is Asgore, Asriel, Frisk and any other monster you've come into contact with._ Alphys begins to pull leather straps from beneath the table and you remember how flustered she had seemed earlier before Sans showed up. Was she trying to help?

Sans.

Another name that nagged at your brain.

You are so easily distracted. The mild heat rolling in your brain made it hard to think straight. Though now you have serious doubts that insomnia is the only cause.

"Said...you owe...explanation?" You pant. You look at Gaster when Alphys won't meet your eyes. She's half-heartedly tightening the straps, toying with the buckles.

 _I did indeed say that._ Something mechanical whirs into life overhead. Alphys gasps, her head snapping up. The silvery ducts in the ceiling begin to rattle. "Sh-she's not str-strong enough!" Alphys protests.

 _She is stronger than you know, Alphys._ Dr. Gaster replys, moving her away from you with the smallest touch of his hand. She jumps and scurries away from him. _She cannot leave yet because she is an instrument of chaos. She would tear our world apart, Alphys._ He looks down at you and very lightly taps one of his fingers against your chest.

Alphys looks away, covering her face.

You gasp as a sharp pain radiates from his touch. Data flashes in your vision.

*Dr. Gaster

*LV, ATK, HP, DF, unreadable

*Talking will not help

*There is no where to flee

That splitting in your skull has returned with a vengeance. Colors and sounds spin through your mind. Your vision swirls, its almost impossible to focus on anything. Rest, Chara. Your fight is finally over. A gentle pressure on your forehead from Gaster's touch sends a cold wave of relief through your body.

You're shoved into the void.

 

****

 

The cold is welcoming. It eases the fire in your mind until you're numb.

So peaceful...

What were you fighting against? This is so much better than fighting. You can actually rest here.

Rest.

You sigh at the thought of sleep. You haven't slept in so long.

It wouldn't hurt to just...sleep...for a little bit...

 

****

 

You wake to disorienting sounds. A mechanical groan, that familiar shrill whine, a shuddering repeated bang.

You turn your head but you can't see. You're so weak you can barely pull at the straps still tying you down.

_Rest._

A gentle tap on your forehead.

 

****

 

Memories surge this time. You recognize this place now. This was your domain. The void. You had spent so much time here and it wasn't because of Gaster.

That name brings so many things to the surface. Torture was his specialty. He was a master manipulator.

Even better than you.

You wince at violent memories and shove them away. You didn't want those, they weren't helpful. They couldn't be.

_You have to accept all of it to escape._

You twist in the darkness, searching for that voice. You had heard it before when you fell in the pit. But there's nothing, no one.

You won't accept those memories.

_Then perish._

 

****

 

You gasp awake, filling your lungs with air. You cough and fall against the metal table. You still can't see.

_I told you she was strong._

You jump at his crackling voice in your head.

"Why can't I see?!" You ask.

_Child, it is an act of mercy._

You snarl. "Let me see."

_You have become stronger it seems. Alphys, increase the extraction._

A sudden weakness seeps into your limbs. It's so...difficult...to....

_We will continue until there is nothing left. Then you will finally release your hold on reality..._

 

****

 

You scream in frustration into the void. FINE! Fine! Let me see everything, I'll do anything to get out of this loop! Please!

You're suddenly overwhelmed with the weight of memories that flood through you. You cry into the darkness at the violence your own hands had caused. There was so much evil and depravity hidden in your soul. Your soul and your sisters'.

Frisk.

How could you two fall so far? You feel anger fill and brim over your soul. You see Sans, you remember how you tortured him. Every. Single. Gorey. Detail.

He was so confused, so distraught that final timeline. You had led him to the brink of sanity, pulled him into the abyss and then dragged him into the light. He had even tried to bring the darkness back in you...before he finally realized you were different. You'd fallen in love.

How the fuck did that happen? How could someone fall for the person who made their life a living hell? How could you fall in love with someone you'd so thoroughly broken?

When the waves of memories finally subside you stand and try to collect yourself. Shit. What the hell was wrong with you?

You know how to reach your sister.

But you're tempted to let yourself just fade into nothing.

A faint promise drifts through the cracks in the void. _"Don't die before you fix everything, Frisk. C-can you at least promise me that you'll come back to fix the world?"_

_"I can promise that, Flowey." You reply easily. "I'll wait to die for real until after I fix this."_

That's right...for a while you had thought you were Frisk. You had thought she represented the good in the world and Chara represented the evil. You now know neither of you were good or evil. You were just people. Anyone could be pushed to extremes. Anyone could lose their way, their sanity, their morality.

Flashes of the end of the last world remind you that you made the choice to create this new reality. Sans had begged you not to erase yourself. You listened. But there was no way either of you could have known you would be stuck with Gaster.

You breathe deep and reach through the tears in the void to reality, searching for Frisk. It's harder to find your timeline than you expected.

You can feel yourself waking, you metaphorically grit your teeth and hang on to the void. You can hear Gaster threatening something as the darkness begins to recede. You send your cry for help as far as you can, through as many openings as you can find and just hope Frisk hears you.

You hope someone hears you.

 

****

 

 _Sneaky child. But you are not the only one who hears through the cracks in time and space. How about I...adjust some things?_ Gasters voice crackles, that high-pitched static claws at your ears like nails on a chalkboard.

The blindfold is gone and you almost scream. The table has been tilted upright and a massive needle is taped to your chest, the tip driven into your soul. It's still shattered from the last world. A shimmering white liquid oozes through the IV. Your DETERMINATION. Your eyes follow the tube where it crosses under the table and trails against the wall to your left and out of your line of sight. But that's not the worst of it.

Your bones ache with a deep, grinding agony. Only the leather straps across your chest and your thighs remains. A series of wide screws on clamps have been driven through your arms, your legs, your hands and feet. The clamps wrap around the edge of the metal table, supporting your weight and keeping the screws biting deep into your flesh. There are nearly two dozen total in your limbs.

So that's how he was keeping your DETERMINATION flowing...

You've had worse, but you really can't remember when. You swallow your shock and let your head rest against the cold metal. An unstable laugh makes Gaster tilt his head curiously. The laughter distracts from the pain. "Still trying to make stolen DETERMINATION work for you?"

He looks thoughtfully at you, blinking slowly before he replies. _I see. Your time in between worlds has renewed some memories. No reprieve this time then._ He lifts his right hand and the handles of the clamps glow a faint blue. The pieces of your soul flicker the same shade of blue. Your body tenses as he slowly, deliberately drives the screws into your skin. They spiral through muscle and your throat burns from screaming.

Just as you feel your vision begin to fade the pain subsides to its previous level. You sag against the tilted table, only the clamps and straps keeping you upright. The wounds fade as a small wave of DETERMINATION washes through your veins. Your skin heals around the edges of the biting screws and the pain drops to just the ache in your bones.

You're still catching your breath when Gaster turns the handles of the clamps again with a casual twist of his hand. He repeats the same torture several times, pushing you just to the brink of passing out before relenting. Your soul refuses to quit, quickly healing you with an unstoppable rush of DETERMINATION.

_Your glitch makes for an effective DETERMINATION farm. No matter the outcome, I still win. Tell me, do you know how long you've been down here?_

Sweat trickles down your face as you shake your head. _Nearly a year. In that time you have been rewritten out of reality. You've saved many monsters from near death with your...donation._

You snarl weakly at him.

_Before you label me the villain, Sans was one of those you saved._

Your snarl becomes a deep frown. You don't like the bizarre affection you have for the skeleton you've only met in passing. You feel protective of him. The memories of other worlds swirl. But that wasn't who you were now, you had lived an entire life without knowing these monsters. And you weren't entirely sure you were still sane.

But if those things had really happened, if you really had a relationship with Sans, that wasn't happening again. Not only because you were now two different people, but also because you were going to be trapped down here forever, straddling the line of just strong enough to fight back and too weak to lift your head.

You manage to catch your breath and look around the lab. The pain is nearly on the back-burner of your mind. "Where's Alphys?" You ask, feeling a strange attachment to the short yellow reptile. You don't like feeling things for people you don't really know, but you accept it...for now.

_Threw herself into the core. Foolish child._

"What?!" You yell, straining against the clamps. You cry out and fall back against the table as another small wave of DETERMINATION heals you.

Gaster nods. Not sadly but almost angrily. _Our...experiments led us to some rather unfortunate outcomes. She could not handle the stress, or rather 'guilt' as she put it, and she dusted herself. No matter how I tried to explain our work would fix everything._

"That's not supposed to happen!" You pants, tugging on the leather.

 _I know that as well as you._ He sighs and summons a half-dozen slim bones to float over your torso. You scream in anger and pain as bones stab through you, carefully avoiding your soul. _But if I can harvest enough of your DETERMINATION, she will be the first I restore. I've already had to use so much..._ He closes his eyes a moment but quickly remembers himself.

You groan, struggling for air as the bones drive through the metal table. He wasn't going to let you recover so quickly this time. "Why...bother...restoring...anyone?"

 _Because I am sick of seeing everyone I care for die._ His lip curls in a snarl as he clenches his fist. The bones twist in place and you scream, throwing your head back against the table. _You fought me SO hard and let me live. THEN taunt me with this perverse reality? Where my son DIES because I have no human souls to draw DETERMINATION from?!_

The screech of static in your ears is unbearable. It feels like your brain is in a blender. You can barely feel as more bones sink into your skin, some dangerously close to your heart and lungs.

 _AND THEN!_ You're allowed to catch your breath before you pass out. _And then when you arrive, you've wiped your own memory. Everyone was spared the memories of the other worlds, except me._ You tremble, biting your lip to stay quiet as the bones slowly press deeper.

_Your cruelest joke yet._

You scream when several of the bones tap against your spine, knocking vertebrae together from the inside. Indescribable agony sprints up and down your nerves.

_So until I have the equivalent of seven human souls, you will remain here. And I will succeed in erasing you forever. I will save everyone._

Something about his words flips a switch in your brain. You start laughing, cackling so loud and hard that you can't catch your breath. Gaster takes a step back, the bones fade from your body and you slump against the straps.

 _Did the great and terrible Chara finally break?_ He scoffs.

You burst out laughing again, blood running down your body in rivulets, your legs numb. "You really think--?" You throw your head back and catch your breath, chuckling again every few minutes. "You really think you can erase me?"

Your head rolls forward and you stare blankly at him. "No one has tried harder than me to kill me. I've tried everything. EVERYTHING!" His eyes widen just a little at your outburst, not from the sound but the contortion of your face. "Be my fucking guest, Gaster! I defy you to kill me! I'd beg you to end me if I thought you were actually capable of it."

A deep, cold certainty fills you and you smile. This was why you erased your memories. When you got bored of dying you started killing. "I. Am. Eternal." The realization is depressing.

One of Gaster's eye brows quirks up as he smirks in disbelief. He lifts his right hand and calls more bones into life. _I missed your arrogance least of all._

You scoff and tug on the restraints again. "It's not arrogance if it's the truth." Your eyes snap to the ceiling when the tubes above move. Gaster follows your gaze, the bones still circling his hand.

Someone drops from the ceiling and you feel your face twist in confusion and disbelief. Frisk stands dramatically, staring at the floor as she pulls herself upright. Her hair falls over her face and her hands hang by her sides. She's still wearing the same outfit she fell in. The tights are torn on both knees. Several slices show her tan skin and new scars. Her striped sweater is shredded, filthy, caked with dust and brown stains. Her hair is matted and wild.

She tilts her head back to reveal a wicked smile. The sight brings a dark laugh from your lips. "Heh, took you long enough to show up."

Frisk shrugs, blinking slowly and eyeing Gaster.

He steps away from the table, keeping both of you in sight. You smile and speak without moving your lips. "Can't fight us both at once, dear sister."

Frisks' smile returns and she levels her arm at Gaster. Her sleeve shifts and a sharp kitchen knife is revealed in her grip.

Gaster tilts his head, not impressed, and lazily throws his arm forward. The circling bones soar toward Frisk. She deflects all but one with the knife and purposefully lets it hit her square in the chest where her soul shines under her shredded sweater.

Her smile only grows as the bone fades. Blood trickles down her chest but her soul continues to shine. She spreads her arms in a welcoming gesture and walks slowly toward Gaster.

You cackle at your sisters cruelty. She had always loved to play with her food.

Gaster takes another step back and two of his blasters appear in front of him. Frisks' smile fades and she jumps onto a table, easily dodging the flesh-tearing roar. You've gone long enough without being injured that you can focus your DETERMINATION.

You give a war-cry full of rage and sadistic delight as you shove against the table. The strap binding your chest and gives as you pull your right arm away from the clamps. A few peel away from your arm, the others cling to your muscle as they're torn away. The one in your hand rips straight down, splitting your palm between your middle and index finger. Gaster's head snaps to you in horror as you smile wickedly at him. Your adrenaline and DETERMINATION are pumping too hard through your veins to feel much of the pain.

He flings his arm at you and a line of bones pins your right side to the table. You throw your head back and laugh. Those were like mosquito bites compared to the screws! He takes another step back, pushing his back against the far corner of the room. You laugh again, spitting blood. He was the farthest he could get from the door. The blasters roar at Frisk again but she easily back-flips out their way. When did she get so athletic?

Gaster can't keep his eyes on both you and Frisk and the bones quickly vanish. The holes they leave behind heal over before the blood can even begin to drip down your skin. You groan and pull against the clamps holding down your left arm. They snap without you breaking a sweat. The ones in your legs take more effort, but Frisk keeps Gaster occupied. She jumps and dodges his attacks like she can anticipate his every move. Maybe she can?

You scream through clenched teeth and rip your feet free.

A thrill of excitement floods your veins when Gaster jumps as you tear the extractor free of your shattered soul. Bones materialize and slam into you. The impact knocks the huge needle from your grip. He goes for the kill, a group of bones cluster in your chest. You cough, blood sprays thickly. You smile just to watch the horror on Gaster's face, blood oozing from your lips. Your soul still drips DETERMINATION, erasing the bones it touches. He focuses on you. His arm is still outstretched, keeping the bones above your soul stuck in you.

You grit your teeth and find the willpower to push against the bones pinning you to the table. The metal groans as the bones pull away from it. Your muscles give out sporadically, waves of black flash behind your eyes. You're dying repeatedly, your HP plummeting to zero within seconds of each immediate revival. Fear dances in Gaster's eyes and it fills you with a dark delighted thrill.

That pesky code of yours. Your soul won't give in.

You laugh, groaning and spraying the tile with blood as you finally tear away from the table. Gaster panics and the bones vanish, replaced by an intense pressure in your chest. Blood leaks from the new holes in your body. Your vision flashes black and the wounds are gone.

It wasn't a reset, it was a combination of your DETERMINATION and your un-erasable soul. The knowledge of the void was incredibly useful.

 _Stay back!_ His staticy voice in your brain breaks with fear. He should be scared, because he'd not only pissed you off but Frisk too.

The pieces of your disjointed soul that are still red have turned blue under the power of his magic. He easily shoves you back. You groan in frustration, pinned against the nearly destroyed table again.

Gaster turns when Frisk lands daintily in front of him. He releases his hold on you and crosses his arms over his chest. He throws them out and hundreds of bones explode from him. Frisk rolls backwards from the impact, stabbed throughout with bones like a morbid pincushion. You step off the table, yet again. The bones weren't fast enough to pin you to it once more.

You scoop the DT extractor needle from the floor and quickly dash to Gaster. He's still recovering from his last attack, he was better at torture than fighting. You scream and stab down with the needle. His eyes widen in fear and he holds his arms out as he scrambles back. Pressure grips your chest but not quick enough to stop you.

The needle plunges through his right eye socket, shattering his glasses against the meat of your hand. The barely noticeable pressure in your chest vanishes as he reaches in silent agony for the needle in his eye. You shove him against the wall and pull back the thick needle before driving it into his chest. Blood sprays from the impact and you find yourself laughing hysterically as you continue to stab him.

He stops fighting a few seconds before he melts to a noxious black liquid, pooling on the floor. "Evil self-righteous bastard." You growl quietly. You drop the bent needle and tilt your head back as your chest heaves. Gross...you were sprayed with blood, both yours and Gaster's. Your shattered soul sinks into your chest, just above the tear in your collar. Your shirt is torn and still-wet blood sticks it unpleasantly to your skin. Every injury, though quickly healed, has left your skin crisscrossed with shiny white scars.

Sweat drips from your temple to your chin as you turn to Frisk. She shoves herself up from the floor and smiles at you.

_I knew you would come back._

You don't know what to feel about that so your face remains blank.

 _Oh stop it._ She signs impatiently, her knife is shoved through the pocket of her shorts. What a weird place to keep that. But she was just as much a masochist as you were a sadist. Hm...the things you remembered were no longer disturbing but something to build on.

_He was the only one who could shove you over the edge. To make you remember.  
_

You look passionlessly at the black sludge on the floor. His death barely affects your stats. You can feel his soul writhing in your chest.

Gross.

You don't want him in your body forever. You flicker and reach into the void, releasing his soul into the blackness. A fitting punishment you think. Besides, your power was overkill enough already. You briefly wonder if in the other timelines the only reason you never returned to your body after your sacrifice was because you were fused with Asriel. This was the first time you had died in your own body and didn't get ripped to the void forever. Your DETERMINATION kept you attached to your body in this world, just like it kept resetting you in the veil in the last world.

Shit. Could you really be immortal?

You shake your head. It didn't matter right now.

"You're right. And I had to be here for him to bring Sans back." You turn to Frisk. She's standing frozen, staring at you with wide eyes and bated breath. "Are you expecting a 'thank you'?" You snap.

She beams, biting her bottom lip before bouncing lightly toward you. She shakes her head and wipes her hand over your face. You lean back annoyed, slapping her hand away. "What the fuck?"

She stares down at her hand, covered in blood and licks her palm. You frown in disgust (Gaster had to taste awful) and laugh when her face contorts in revulsion and she spits, rubbing her hand clean on her torn tights.

 _Tastes like an electric fire._ She comments.

You laugh at the description. "How many did you kill?" You ask, walking back through the destroyed lab. You wonder where Gaster stored the DETERMINATION in this world.

_Only 20. None anyone would miss. I needed to be stronger to come help you...but I like to follow you._

You smile at that as you two step into the hall. So there was still something left to work with. Maybe your time with Gaster wasn't all for nothing. "Good. What's different this time, other than us being here together?"

_Sans was dead when we got here. No humans had fallen before us. This world jumps a lot. Resets are so much rougher on them. Asriel was still alive._

"We'll have to kill him to keep this world stable." You interrupt. Wait. "He has to become flowey...but he can't. Not without Alphys." You slow to a stop.

_What is it?_

"This world isn't stable. There won't be enough similarities to the others in the multiverse for this world to last for long. It could blink out of existence at any second."

Frisk tilts her head in thought. _So we go to another world. Have fun there instead?_

"Oh, I love the way you think." You purr.

Frisk giggles with a small smile.

"I know just the place to go. But we'll be fused there, there aren't any timelines where we can be together like this."

Frisk pouts a little. _But we have so much_ fun _when we're like this. The fusion is fun but not like this._

You shrug. "It's just a different kind of fun." You start leading the way out of the lab again. You wonder how long this world has. Frisk had reset this timeline a dozen or more times to find the right combination of events that would bring you back. Events were already stacking, overlapping. There wasn't much more until this world tore itself apart struggling to stay consistent with the multiverse.

"We don't have much time left here. If I can sense how unstable everything is, others can too."

 _Like Sans?_ Frisk asks with a sly smile.

"What's with that face? What did you do?" You're nearly at the main door of the lab. Frisk toys with the hem of her threadbare sweater, blood trickles down her thigh. It soaks her jean shorts in a wide patch from where her knife cuts into her skin with every step.

 _I may have taken him to the ruins as a present for you._ She signs sheepishly, biting her cheek. _If we don't have much time, why not skip straight to the fun?_

A shudder runs down your spine. "Take me." You breathe. She giggles silently and grabs your hand and drags you down a set of rock stairs to the left of the lab. They lead down to a river. The heat of Hotland practically vanishes. Humidity hangs thick in the air.

A boat pulls up like it had been waiting just out of sight for you two. You forgot about Riverperson. You rarely interacted with them across all your lives. Frisk tugs you onto the boat and tells them to take you to Snowdin. You grip her hand tightly in anticipation.

The cold of Snowdin is like a slap in the face. It clears your head, burning your lungs as Frisk pulls you at break-neck speed to the ruins. You notice there aren't any monsters in Snowdin. They've all run for their lives. Frisks' violence was noticed.

You jerk her to a halt. "You said you killed ones no one would notice."

She shrugs, barely hiding her smile. You can't contain your anger any more. It was too much to keep up the charade. You backhand her across the face hard enough that she spirals to the snow. She looks up at you with a dark light dancing in her eyes; licking the blood from her lips where she lays on her side.

You shove her to her back with your foot and stand on her chest. "What the _fuck_ did you do, Frisk?" You clench your fists, staring down with as much anger as you can muster. What happened to your sister?

She laughs silently, throwing her head back in the snow. You lean into her chest with your sneaker with a snarl and she claws at your leg, biting her bottom lip. You jerk your leg away from her, stepping back in disgust. Your stomach turns and you gag.

She enjoyed that?

You gag again and run a hand over your face. Killing Gaster had been a mistake. You'd lost yourself in a fit of passion. Right? Plus you let him go, you released him to void. He could find his way to the veil. He would come back in the next world. You weren't really a murderer. That couldn't be who you really were.

Right?

You look down at Frisk. She looks innocently up at you and signs. _I killed everyone from the pit to Waterfall. I couldn't stop myself._ A wicked smile spreads across her face and a dark delight sparks in her eyes.

You jerk her upright by her neck and shudder at the face she makes. Her cheeks flush and she chews her bottom lip. "Stop that!" You snap, shaking her. You release her and she takes a few unsteady steps before she regains her footing.

You weren't evil.

Well...maybe you were before. But you weren't going to be evil anymore.

You were not going to be a sadist. And...definitely not with your sister.

"Where is Sans?" You ask.

She takes your hand, smiling smugly when you shudder again. She pulls you through the edges of Snowdin to the ruins. The air here is cool, stale, earthy.

Images from other worlds push at you. They're disgustingly exciting. You hate yourself for your curiosity. But you were strong. You weren't going to give in. Even with half the underground gone. There had to be something left to save.

Ugh...what was the point? The world would collapse soon enough anyway. You couldn't fix anything anymore. Maybe it was time to just give up.

Frisk takes you up the stairs of the old castle and you both pop up in the foyer of the previous Dreemurr home. Your heart pounds in your throat as she takes you down the hall. The door to the first bedroom is ajar.

You hear ragged breathing before you see him. Your heart sinks to your toes. Sans lies with his hands bound behind his back, blindfolded. He's on his side, his ankles bound to his thighs.

With a trembling rage you turn to Frisk.

 _He never learned to jump in this world. He's only had his magic for a few months._ She signs, breathing hard at the fury coming from you. You release her hand and turn to Sans, kneeling before him on the floor.

"Easy, easy!" You soothe when he flinches away from your touch. Frisk couldn't hurt him or he'd die, but who knows how long she'd left him down here. He growls and tries to bite you when you reach for his blindfold first.

Instinctively you pull back but frown at the reaction, it's not like he could really hurt you anyway. You turn to Frisk. "Hand it over." You snap, pointing to her knife. She quickly obliges with a dark smile. You frown at the blood coating it and wipe the blade clean on your tights.

You look back at Sans. His breathing is labored but he still struggles against his ropes. "I'm sorry. I tried your way. It's not working." You whisper. His eyes go wide in shock, his eyebrows rising over the blindfold. "Chara?" He breathes. "Frisk killed _everyone._ Everyone's dead." He whispers.

See? There was nothing left to try for anymore.

You pull him upright and cradle the back of his skull in your hand. You take a deep breath and shakily release it, leaning your forehead against his. There wasn't anything left to save, but you could do one last thing to keep this from happening again. "Yeah. But we're ending this. Don't worry." You close your eyes for a moment before pressing the blade under his chin.

One soul. You just needed one monster soul. No time to regret letting Gaster go.

Frisk lunges forward as you slice his neck open, realizing your plan. You feel the blade cut through tendons, his windpipe, and muscle. You'd forgotten only his skin was invisible. The sight of his shredded throat sears into your brain. Blood sprays your face and you cry out in horror.

Frisk fights you for the blade and you slash at her, sobbing.

"Why, Frisk? WHY?!" You scream when you roll her onto her back. You pull back your hand and punch her several times before you can't lift your hand against her again. You straddle her chest, her arms are splayed over her head.

You aren't sure you can murder for a third time.

You blink back tears, your throat burns with choked sobs as you hold the knife in both hands at your chest. She's breathing hard, the deep defensive wounds on her arms seep blood onto the hardwood floor. Her left eye was already swelling shut. She turns her head to spit out a mouthful of blood and a tooth.

Your hands tremble. You can't believe you made yourself kill Sans.

"Why don't you reset?!" You scream at her when her injuries don't heal. Maybe there was another option? Maybe you could try again!

She shrugs and shakes her head.

"You..." Your arms falter, falling to your sides. The knife rests loosely in your grip against your knee. "You want me to kill you."

She smiles, her unswollen eye widening.

"You...you want to fuse." The realization is barely a whisper.

Frisk nods.

So she lied about having more fun separated. She only killed everyone because she wanted you to take vengeance. She wanted to be Karrin again.

You sit back on her hips in defeat. You don't have it in you to kill her. And if you did you doubt you'd be strong enough to keep  _both_ of your homicidal tendencies in check. She'd just reset with you as her hostage and you'd go Stockholm on her, eventually enjoying it.

You sob, your head rolling forward as you close your eyes. Your shoulders shake as you sob again. Why was this happening? All you wanted was for everyone to be happy.

Soft hands close your fingers around the knife blade and slowly guide your left hand to clasp over your right.

You freeze. Staring down at Frisk.

She smiles pleasantly, her hands closed over yours around the knife.

"You fucking PSYCHOPATH!" You scream, ripping your hands from her grip. She snatches your wrists and keeps you from standing. She bares her teeth in a fierce snarl, struggling to keep hold of you. Deep down you know there's no other way out of this world. There's no chance to reset everyone unless you kill her. But there's no telling what that kind of darkness would do to your already deeply damaged soul. She was your sister...

When you finally free yourself she rushes forward and wraps her hands around your neck, pinning you on your back. You don't bother pulling at her hands. It's not like she could kill you. A sudden fear runs through you. She'd taken nearly all the souls of the underground, she could take _your_ soul and do whatever she wanted. She would have your knowledge, your power. In a state of mind like this she would be a hurricane of violence. You reach to tug at her hands, your feet struggle for purchase to shove her off. Desperation fills you. As you begin to black-out you hear fabric tearing. She releases your neck with a surprised smile.

You cough, gasping for air as she leans back. The knife is stuck to the hilt in her gut. Adrenaline pumps through your veins as you catch your breath. You can't let her take you and you hate her for it. You scream and tackle her. You jerk the knife from her stomach and plunge it into her chest.

*HP 99 and falling

*DF 0

*She wants to die. She won't fight back.

You pin her down by her neck and pull the knife back before stabbing her again. You scream in enraged anguish as you stab her. "JUST DIE! PLEASE!" You aren't sure when she's finally dead, but you fall back wheezing when your grip is too weak to pull the knife out of her chest one more time. Your hand drives down without the knife and slams against the blade, slicing your palm open.

You struggle to breathe as you crawl back, kicking away from Frisks' still, blood drenched body. A smile is plastered on her face.

"Oh my God..." You look down at your trembling hands, blood has already begun to dry on your skin. It's splattered so thick over your clothes that they stick to your skin.

Now you've killed a brother, a sister, a mother, a father and a lover...

The room fades in and out of focus. Your stomach rolls and you vomit bile on the floor.

A breathtaking wave of power surges through your soul. You can feel Frisk, every monster she's killed. You look down at your chest. Your shattered soul has a few more pieces missing. It looks so fragile...like you could breathe on it too hard and it would dissolve.

 

*You don't want to reset...

 

You kick yourself back until you're against the wall. This world didn't have much longer anyway. You let your head hit the wall and you exhale hard.

What would happen if you just... released the souls into the void?

You close your eyes.

Gaster was different, he was like you. He belonged outside of reality. But the other monsters, what would happen to them? You can't even feel Sans amid the chaos of torment in your soul. You're too tired to care about what everyone's fate will be. It was time to just let them move on. Maybe that was the happiest ending you could give them?

You open your eyes when you hear a faint whine, like bad audio tape. The room was growing dark, pieces of reality fading.

You smile. This world was too different to maintain its tether to the other worlds. You never murder Sans and Frisk in the same timeline. That was impossible. You were never supposed to exist at the same time as Frisk.

You sigh as you feel Frisk throwing a tantrum inside you. "Sorry, nugget. We don't get to go to the next world."

It's beautiful to watch reality disintegrate. You stand on a piece of floor as chunks of the room are taken by the black. You smile in wonder, turning to see small distant pieces of your world floating in the darkness as they are so gently dismantled.

A numbness crawls up your limbs. You look down at your arms. Your fingers are carefully unraveling before the minuscule pieces of you fade into the black.

"This is what happens when we try to play God, Frisk." You whisper with an awed smile. You don't know if any part of this world will drift to the others, or if you will continue to exist after this. But that's okay. You had tried to re-write the world for your own gain. You have to earn paradise, nothing is ever given for free.

You tilt your head back and let the numbness take you.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The instability of this world made memories leak from other worlds. As Frisk reset for whatever reasons she started having flashes of those other worlds and she wanted to be Karrin again and create that world. Chara leads her on for a while, trying to figure out what the hell is up with Frisk and the splitting reality affects her too. They're both as unstable as the world is, but Chara tries to at least keep Frisk from having control.


	24. Chapter 24

What world do you want to create?

Sans' *Chara's

 

Do you think Frisk can be good?

*Yes   No

 

*You are confident in Frisk

 

****

 

You can feel something.

This is mildly intriguing, you haven't felt anything for eons. What is this?

The feeling fades and you return to your slumber.

*

Voices echo. The sounds are difficult to understand. When was the last time you even heard someone else speak? Other than your brother calling your name.

Wait, that's what it was. It was your name.

"Chara, can you hear me?"

There's nothing around you. The voice unsettles you, things ripple on the edge of your recollection. Things you don't want to remember.

You roll away from the sound, trying to shut it out.

"Chara. I didn't forget. Just hold on a little longer."

No! No, you want to forget, you want quiet. All you want is be left alone. No choices, no failure or pain.

You shut yourself away deeper. The void silences any echoes and you finally fall into an uneasy sleep.

*

"...ust has to work. Please, try again."

"I-I don't th-think we should p-push them. We-we've all be th-through alot."

"I...I promised I wouldn't forget about her. We can't just leave her in the void forever!"

"I-I'm not say-saying that. Look a-at her, sh-she's exhausted. Let's g-get some sleep and we'll try a-again."

Those voices sparked memories.

Color, light, warmth.

You begin to feel again.

Happiness, anticipation, laughter.

You can't handle it. You don't deserve it. The voices fade and you can no longer sleep. The memories haunt you. The life you could never have. You took too many lives through too many worlds to deserve happiness.

It takes so long to fight back the feelings. You're exhausted when you can finally return to feeling nothing, shoving the memories down. It was getting harder and harder to keep the memories of your last world at bay.

You had sincerely hoped that following your original timeline's plan would mean you could truly rest. You sacrificed yourself again for the monsters and it ended just as badly as the first time.

You don't want to try again.

You're done trying.

Peace....quiet...

*

Flashes of light jerk you from your sleep. If you could scream in fright you would have.

Numbers fly around you.

Anger fills you.

_Gaster..._

He had finally returned for you.

White hands with holes in the palms. A cracked white face with a permanently closed right eye and a kind smile.

The numbers circle you on all sides. In the dim light of the flashing numbers you can see Gaster's body has no real shape, it's an opaque black mist that swirls slowly around him. His hands aren't attached to his body, they float beside him.

He gestures you closer with one of his hands.

You are immediately suspicious.

He forms words with his hands but you can hear them clearly.

_*I understand your trepidation. But my rage has subsided, child._

A faint whispering fills the space around you.

_*Can you not hear him? He searches for you._

An aching pain in your chest threatens to overwhelm you as the whispering becomes louder, more insistent. Desperate.

_*Return. Spare him this pain. He believes he's failed you. He laments his lack of power. He does not know that it is an inefficacious pursuit to try to persuade you to do something you do not also desire._

_Why do you care?_ You ask angrily. You didn't deserve to return to the world. You were better in the void, alone like you should be. You had betrayed, failed and deceived everyone, everyone you had ever cared for. You had tortured and manipulated Sans into a true monster. How could you face him?

_*He is my son. I will always care._

You're shocked at the revelation.

_*Return to void. And return to the world._

You're shoved back, the numbers fly past you on either side until they blip out of existence. Swallowed by the black.

It's so dark now.

You know the void has always been this dark and empty, but now its almost unbearable. You cannot sleep now.

You wait anxiously for that voice calling for you again.

 

*

 

Waiting is absolute torture you discover.

 

*

 

You discouraged him.

 

*

 

No...

 

*

 

It was Gaster, wasn't it?

He was just toying with you!

You never fixed the world! HE WAS JUST PLAYING WITH YOU!

Was this the special section of the multiverse he reserved for you, your own private hell?

 

*

 

Anger fades.

 

*

 

Coherent thought beings to fade.

 

*

 

Exhaustion begins to set in.

 

*

 

Desolation.

 

*

 

_You forgot about me long ago, didn't you? It's okay. I never should have asked, it wasn't fair._

_I love you, Sans._

_Please...take care of yourself. Because someone..._

_Someone really cares about you._

 

*

 

The light burns.

You cover your eyes. A cough shakes you, it hurts so much to breathe.

"Chara?!" A voice screams. You grimace at the volume of their excitement. Your ears ring as a pressure encases your chest.

You blink hard in the bright light. You struggle to make any sense of what was happening. Feeling returns soon after sound and sight. It's a strange sensation. Someone was hugging you so tightly it hurt.

They pull back to look at you and you gasp in astonishment. You had never expected to see him again.

"Holy fucking hell..." You breathe.

Sans laughs in relief. You grab his face and kiss him. He jumps in surprise, tensing at the contact.

Right. He didn't like to be touched.

You quickly pull back and see white walls behind him. You look around, your jaw drops when you recognize Alphys' lab. You were on a table eerily similar to the one she had once extracted DETERMINATION from your soul on.

"Wh-what?" You look down. Your hands are your own. There are a multitude of colored wires stuck to your bare skin. Oh. You're naked. The sheet that been covering you has slid to your thighs.

Your face burns with fierce embarrassment as you see there are other people surrounding you. Dr. Alphys and... "Frisk?" In your shock you forget your embarrassment.

She's so small.

She's covering her eyes with a blush of her own burning her cheeks. She couldn't be more than ten. You try to slide from the metal table you're on to hug her and your legs immediately give out.

Sans catches you in his arms. "Easy there, you're not strong enough to walk yet."

You're breathing hard with the effort of trying to stand as he helps you back onto the table. Alphys hands you her lab-coat. Her face is also burning with a deep yellow blush, she's looking very pointedly away from you. Sans begins to detach the wires and helps you into the coat, buttoning it up for you.

"What...wires?" It seems you've used your master linguistics skills on your first words. "Measuring your DT levels, trying to sync your soul with your..." Sans coughs. "Remains was incredibly difficult."

Remains?

You quirk an eyebrow at him. "Am I...Frankensteins...monster?" You ask between long breaths.

Sans frowns. "What? No, you're Chara." He tilts your head to him to check your skull.

"It's a s-story, Sans. A m-mad sc-scientist br-brings a dea-dead body to l-life." Alphys replies haltingly.

"Oh." Sans' brow furrows. He breaks into a smile and tucks a stray hair behind your ear. His hand rests on your cheek and he smiles crookedly. The warmth of his skin is startling. "Yeah, I guess you are."

Your stomach turns at that thought.

"She's covered, you two." Sans says with a chuckle when he realizes they still haven't turned around. He pulls his hand from your face and you try to hide your disappointment.

You smile when Frisk beams at you. She rushes forward and hugs your legs tightly. You smile down at her, hugging her back awkwardly and patting her hair.

She tilts her head up, blinking innocently up at you. She had old eyes, the kind that held so many secrets. Your muscles tremble as you pull her off the floor. Sans makes a panicked sound and Alphys rushes forward to help.

But you and Frisk manage to get her on the table with you before they can truly react. You brush the hair from her tanned face and smile. She pats your cheek and you chuckle. "Hey there, kiddo. You did good. You freed everyone for me. Thank you."

You embrace her and she throws her arms around your neck. You close your eyes and begin to cry, hugging her tightly. She lets go and you try to stop the sobs. Sans and Alphys look at you both with a mix of confusion and concern.

Frisk frowns at you, wiping your face. She signs at you.

_Stop crying. This is the last time. I promise._

You laugh, crying harder. "You're...mute?" You ask.

Frisk nods earnestly. _Remember? I was being a jerk face._

A cold horror drips down your spine and you stop crying. "Yeah...yeah I remember. Do...do you...want your...voice back?"

She shakes her head with a small smile, wiping your face again. She leans forward and kisses your cheek.

 _I deserved it._ She signs with a pleasant smile. _It reminds me to be good._

You chuckle shortly. "Yeah?"

She nods again. _So no more crying._

"Okay." You force a smile for her and kiss her forehead.

Frisk beams, revealing a missing tooth. She glances back at Sans and Alphys, you follow her gaze.

They're both still totally lost. Sans' pupils have vanished and Alphys' mouth is open. Frisk gestures for them to turn around.

Sans blinks a few times and his pupils return before he turns with Alphys.

Frisk looks up at you. _You take good care of Sans. He's missed you._ She has to spell out Sans name by letter.

She hops down from the table. Sans is the first to turn, Alphys is hesitant to. Frisk looks up at them. _I'm going to Mom. You three have a lot to talk about and it's not new to me._ She waves happily at you before she leaves the lab through the back door.

"She's going out on her own?" You ask, about to chase after her.

Sans catches you again when you fall. "Damn legs." You grumble. He and Alphys help you sit back up on the table. "F-Frisk is mo-more than ca-capable of g-getting ho-home on her own. No m-monster lef-left do-down here would harm he-her." Alphys explains.

You don't like her being out of your sight. She was so small. Maybe you shouldn't have made her so young? You can't begin to imagine how traumatic this was for her.

"Trust me, kid can handle herself." Sans says with a lopsided smile. "Plus, Tori brought her down today. So she isn't alone."

"Why is...any monster...still here?"

"S-some come b-back to visit. Toriel went t-to check on th-them while we were do-downstairs today."

Alphys pulls a small flashlight from her coat pocket by your leg. She shines the light in your eyes. She has you close your eyes and snaps her claws by each ear several times, making you tell her which side it was on. Sans watches as she lifts your arms over your head, makes you touch your nose with each hand. She tests your reflexes, checks your spine and neck, and does a few nerve tests.

"I n-need you to lie d-down so I can ch-check your insides." She tells you. You frown but comply. You'd been to a doctor a handful of timelines and never had this many things checked.

"I thought you were a scientific doctor."

Alphys shrugs as she presses firmly into your torso. Your eyes widen at the pressure. "I am but" she pauses and taps the hand pressed into your skin a few times with her free hand. She does this in several places. "My doctorate is in biology. I'm also pre-med topside." She was too focused on whatever test this was to notice she wasn't stuttering.

You smile when a vague memory floats to you. You had once pointed out to her that she didn't stutter when she felt confident.

"Sans has a doctorate in applied physics." She tells you with a smirk.

You look at Sans in surprise. His cheeks are burning a light blue. "Shut up, Alphys." He says when she snickers at him.

She helps you sit up. "Alright, you seem to be o-okay. How d-do you feel?"

"Incredibly confused." You reply.

"Ask all the questions you want, kid." Sans says, that familiar smile plastered on his face. "We've got a few for you too."

"Le-lets get her s-somewhere more com-comfortable, first." Alphys says. "Th-though we had expec-expected you to be able to walk." She chews her bottom lip. "Let m-me grab a wh-wheel chair."

"Nah, I got it, Alph." Sans says before she gets far. You and Alphys are both shocked when he easily scoops you into his arms. "I can try to walk!" You say.

He laughs and shakes his head. "Nope."

"Wow Sans, n-never thought I'd see y-you put any ef-effort into something." Alphys jokes as she leads the way out of her lab and up to her living space. "She weighs like, less than nothing. And this is so much faster."

You pout, not looking at Sans as he carries you. "Don't be tsundere." He whispers. Your head snaps back to him in shock. He winks at you and smiles a little wider. "I-I am not!" You protest.

Sans laughs and adjusts his grip. You look away, even more embarrassed. You're relieved and disappointed when he sets you on the couch in Alphys loft-style apartment upstairs from her lab.

"Let me get you s-some real cl-clothes. Are you hungry, th-thristy?" Alphys asks as she shuffles to her wardrobe.

"Uh, thirsty as fuck actually." You reply.

Sans chuckles and pats your hand before he goes back downstairs. "Be right back, babe." He says. He pauses when he stands, his brow furrows in confusion for a second. "Sorry, be right back." He adds as he turns away.

You wonder how much he really remembers. He seemed startled when you kissed him. What if he just knew you were a soul trapped in the void and he wanted to save you? You sigh and roll your head back against the couch, closing your eyes.

"Oh, a-are you okay?" Alphys asks.

You pick your head up to look at her. "Yeah. Starting to..." You shake your head. "Just a lot on my mind." You reply.

She hands you a pile of clothes. "I-I imagine so. Though the fact that anything i-is on your mind is nothing short of a miracle! We had no idea what was going to happen, or if Sans' theories would work."

You take the clothes and smile. "So it was Sans that did this?"

She give a little smile in return and nods. "D-do you want help?" She asks.

"No. I can manage." You reply and she turns around.

You set the clothes beside you on the couch and start to slip out of the huge lab-coat. Your hair is longer than you remember, it falls in your face as you pull the lab-coat over your head. You brush the thick locks back, your muscles tremble from the effort.

Jeeze, you were so much thinner than you remembered. You had been in Frisk's body much longer than you had been in your own. It was going to take some getting used to.

You pull the baggy black shirt over your head and flop back on the couch to pull the gym shorts up.

You huff with the effort to sit back up. "O-okay, I'm...I'm clothed. Thank you, Alphys." She turns back and smiles shyly before she sits in the arm chair on your left.

Sans appears at the top of the stairs with an armful of bottles of water. You laugh when as he tosses you one. You manage to fumble and catch it.

"Sans! Jeeze! She's just--Ah!" Alphys jumps in surprise when he tosses one at her too. He flops to the couch beside you and drops the bottles to the coffee table before setting them upright and taking one.

They both open the tops with ease while you struggle to even grip your fist around the lid.

Sans snaps his fingers and the cap pops off into your hand. You glance at him and he winks again. It makes butterflies flutter in your stomach.

You turn away from him and take a drink of water. You had no idea you were this thirsty. You suck down one bottle and cough, trying to catch your breath. Sans hands you another bottle, the top already off and you drain that one too.

"Catch your breath first." He says before handing you a third bottle. "Ta-take it easy, your body is still rec-covering." Alphys adds.

You nod and take the bottle from Sans, drinking more slowly. Your stomach sloshes with liquid as you lean into the couch.

"So. What happened, why am I alive?" You ask looking at them both, sipping the water.

"We uh...injected your re-remains with s-some of the D-DETERMINATION I-I still had from...you know."

You look hard at Alphys. "How do you know I know that?" She chuckles nervously under the intense stare.

Sans answers for her. "We all remember pieces of you. Don't know how, but we do." He shrugs, taking a drink. "You're imprinted on us all."

You don't like hearing that.

"How did you bring my soul back?" You ask, looking more at Sans for an answer than Alphys.

"I didn't." He replies.

"Bullshit, I'm here aren't I?"

"You uh...s-slowly regenerated wi-with the DETERMINATION." You look at Alphys in disbelief. "But yo-your b-body was complete f-for at le-least six months be-f-fore today."

"Frisk said she could hear you." Sans says. He's staring at the label of his water bottle, toying with the wrapper. "She sprinted here from the surface and told us she could hear you screaming. So we went down to the lab and your soul was glowing. It's...in pieces. A huge chunk in the middle is gone. You started to wake up. You said 'I asked too much, it wasn't fair'. And then your eyes opened." Sans looks up at you, studying your face to gauge your reaction.

"Oh." You say.

"You also s-said that--"

"Alphys." Sans growls.

Alphys chuckles. "Now wh-who's being tsundere?" She teases.

"So how is your code embedded in every monster in the underground, and in Frisk?" Sans asks seriously.

You nearly spit your water everywhere. "What?!" You demand, turning on the couch to look at him. "Your code. I've found at least one chain of it in every single monster and Frisk."

"How can you see the code of the universe?"

"How can you?"

"I can't! Not right now anyway, and I've only seen it twice...I think. Stop avoiding the question."

Sans shrugs casually and you want to shake him.

"Don't fuck around, Sans."

Alphys gasps softly. A lopsided smirk shows Sans' double-sets of canines. "Tell me why you're embedded into everyone and I'll tell you how I know it."

You growl. "Fine. This isn't...the first world I've lived in."

"You meant not your first "timeline" right?" Sans asks, a hint of fear in his voice.

You sigh and rest your head on the back of the couch. You close your eyes. "No. I didn't." You turn to look at him. His pupils have vanished.

"There are...other worlds?" Alphys asks, her voice trembling. You turn to her and nod.

"I've been in..." You close your eyes again. "I don't even know how many. It all becomes a blur after so many resets. I know for sure there was one before this world, and s-someone there said there had been other incarnations of reality before that."

"Resets?" Alphys questions.

You look at Sans. His expression tells you she didn't know about Frisks' abilities and he didn't want to tell her. Too bad. You look at Alphys. "When a being has a particularly strong will power, they are able to return after death. They can 'reset' themselves to before they died and change it so they didn't die."

Alphys' eyes widen at the possibilities.

"Those with a large amount of DETERMINATION can achieve this power. I never had this ability, but...but Frisk does. And so did your experiment, the flower..." You sit up so hard it makes your head spin.

"Asriel! Sans, where is he?!"

Sans' eyes widen in surprise at your outburst then narrow in confusion. "Who?"

Your stomach drops to your feet. "He...he's Toriel and Asgores child." You gasp. "Where are Toriel and Asgore?"

"H-how do yo-you know them?"

Frisk! Frisk would know. You try to stand and your knees buckle. You hit the coffee table and your hand goes straight through the glass top.

"SHIT!" Sans yells.

You pull your arm up with a grimace. The pain was slight compared to what you'd experienced before, or maybe you couldn't feel pain clearly yet. "It's not that b-bad." You try to explain but the thick blood running down your arm is distracting.

Sans pulls you away from the shattered glass while Alphys grabs her first aid kit. "Tori and Asgore are on the surface. We can't go see them yet. They uh...they don't know I stole your body." He whispers.

Your eyes widen. "Frisk won't tell Toriel?"

He shakes his head, holding your arm up to keep it elevated. "Frisk was the one who showed me where you were buried. Heh. Talk about creepy, huh? She uh she's helped us a lot with bringing you back. I didn't realize you two...knew each other. You guys related?"

"No." You reply when Alphys returns. Sans flicks his free hand and the glass shards from the floor are out of her way.

You stare intently at Sans as Alphys delicately pulls glass from your arm before wrapping it. He's beginning to look uncomfortable. "Jeeze kid, chillin' me to the bone with that look." He chuckles nervously.

"You don't remember...do you?"

"Remember what?"

You blink and smile down at Alphys. "Thank you." You tell her.

"I...I'm pretty tired. I think I want to go lie down for a bit." You say emotionlessly.

"O-of course! Uh, S-Sans why don't you br-bring one of the beds up from downst-stairs?" He stands and retreats back downstairs. "I d-don't think we should let y-you sleep unobserved for a f-few days."

You nod stiffly. Your bottom lip begins to tremble. You cover your face with your hands and begin to cry again. Already you long for the quiet, the simplicity of the void.

"Wh-what's wrong, Chara?" Alphys asks. You feel the couch sink beside you before warm, short arms pull you close in a hug. "Hey, i-its okay." Alphys soothes.

"He doesn't remember!" You sob. You had grown so used to Sans always knowing everything about the past, he always knew. Always. He always remembered.

"You m-mean the ot-other world?" She asks, patting your back as you make yourself calm down. "Yeah. I'll just...have to start over."

You and Alphys both scream, clutching each other when a bed soars over your heads and slides to a stop on the far wall. The blue haze surrounding it quickly fades.

"Didn't hit anyone, did I?!" Sans yells from the bottom of the stairs. You turn to stare in angry disbelief at him over the half-wall of Alphys' living space. Alphys trembles beside you.

"What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?!"

Sans shrugs. "Probably a lot. But it was easy. You two are still alive."

You scream in frustration and turn back to Alphys. You expect her to be upset but she's laughing. She was trembling from holding back a loud burst of snorting giggles. "Don't encourage him!" You snap, but her laughter is contagious.

Sans lazily climbs the steps and you stuff your laughter down. With a flick of his hand he adjusts the bed so the headboard is snug in the corner. Just like you like it. Nothing can creep up on you with your back to the wall.

"Still want to sleep?" He asks. You give a non-committal shrug, not looking at him. "Tsundere as fuck."

"Would you stop saying that!" You snap.

He chuckles and an eerily familiar pressure wraps around your chest. You yelp as you're lifted from the couch and dropped gently on the bed. Your mouth is dry. It didn't matter that it was done caringly. It was too unsettling.

You clutch your chest, taking shallow panicked breaths.

"Sans!" Alphys scolds, scurrying to your bed.

"Shit, I didn't mean to-you okay?"

You take a deep breath and chuckle. "You're really an ass sometimes." You tell him as you let your hand fall to your lap. They both stare at your chest. You look down. A weak red and white dappled light shines through the fabric of your shirt.

You curiously tug on the collar and you see your shattered soul pulsing against your sternum. "Oh, hey there's more to it than I remember." You comment, releasing your collar.

You wonder if your soul will still appear topside when you feel threatened.

Sans and Alphys are still staring at you with concern after your soul fades into your chest again.

"What?" You ask.

"Ain't it obvious?" Sans asks, gesturing to you. "No one should be alive with that kind of damage to their soul!"

You shrug. "I'm a glitch in the Matrix, what do you want from me?"

Alphys snorts and quickly covers her mouth, embarrassed. It makes you smile. "Seriously though, Sans. I don't know why I'm still existing. I should've died, I gave up trying to will myself to live a long, long time ago. But I don't die, my code can't be erased, my soul won't give up, I apparently can't even be wiped from the collective memory of monsters. Now if you two don't mind. I would really like to sleep."

You start kicking the blankets back to get snuggled into bed when someone's phone chimes. Alphys jumps and pulls her cell phone out of her pocket. "Oh, diddly dang it! I forgot, Undyne made dinner!"

You snort at 'diddly dang it'. "Go ahead, tell her...oh wait. Nevermind." You frown to yourself as you burrow into your pillow. You never got to say goodbye to her. The last time you saw her she promised to make you waffles if you stayed the night.

"Sans?" Alphys looks at him as she stands.

He smiles crookedly. "Go ahead. But do me a favor and let Pap stay at your place? He doesn't like the new apartment yet."

Alphys breaks into a smile and hugs him. Sans awkwardly pats her back. "Of course Papy can stay w-with us!" She says as she steps back. "I'll be back tomorrow, Chara!"

You weakly wave back at her and sigh before you snuggle deeper into the bed. It takes some effort but you eventually get your back snug against the wall. There. Just like you like it.

Sans pulls up a chair and flops in it.

This bed was more comfortable than the void. It was impossible to get 'comfortable' when you had no sense of feeling. It doesn't take long before you're sound asleep.

 

*

 

You wake up with a scream dying on your lips. Sans has pulled you into his lap, he's staring wide-eyed down at you. "Jeeze, quite a set of lungs you got there, kid." He says shakily, brushing the hair from your face.

You can't remember what the nightmare was but you cling to Sans until the fear subsides. So many emotions you'd forgotten how to deal with.

You tilt your head back to look at him. Your souls' dimmed light catches on his face. He smiles faintly. The light fades but the smile doesn't. The dark brings another wave of fear and you clutch wordlessly to him again.

"What? What is it?" He asks.

You didn't expect Alphys' lab to be so dark, the lights were supposed to be on all the time right?

You begin to tremble. A deep seated fear has you in its grip and you can't speak. "Oh shit, right." He mutters before several lamps flicker on in Alphys' loft. He adjusts and pulls you upright into his lap, leaning against the headboard.

"Don't worry. Even if the lights go out, I've still got my eye." He jokes with a wink. You smile in spite of the shiver that crawls up your spine and he pulls your legs over his. With a tilt of his chin the blanket drapes over you.

You scoff good-naturedly at him, cocking an eyebrow.

"What?" He asks defensively.

"You hate people in your bubble."

He frowns. "That's creepy, Chara. You shouldn't tell people how much you know about them."

You laugh. "I could tell you sorts of things, Sans. Heh, it'd be like getting you back. You used to know more about me than I did."

"Oh?" He asks curiously.

"Yeah. In the last world. You knew a startling amount about me."

"Tell me."

You snort. "No. You don't want to hear it."

"If you tell me about the last world. I'll tell you what I remember."

"Will you take me to Toriel and help me look for Asriel?"

"Was going to help anyway, but yeah, if it'll get you to spill the beans. Once you're strong enough, we'll introduce you...well re-introduce you? Do you know Tori from this world or the last?"

"This world. She and Asgore adopted me."

"Oh! _You're...that_ human."

You nod into his chest. "Yup. That human."

"I wasn't around when Asriel died. I was a pretty sick kid, so I didn't get out much until I was a teenager. Which was a few years after he died I think. That was, uncoincidentally, around the same time I got better."

You look up at him. So he was younger than you. HA!

"Uncoincidentally?" You ask. Was that even a word?

Sans shakes his head with a smile. "You make me say things I don't even think to say to other people. Go on with your story, I'll...I'll tell you all about me later."

You pout a little but don't press him.

"The other world." An unease settles in your chest. "Was damaged. My timeline started normal, but when Frisk showed up that time she became deranged. I was still existing in the void, I could see her...her anger called out to me. I was still attached by a thread to my brother, Asriel. Though he was Flowey by this point. When he talked to Frisk, mistaking her for me, I could see them interact. He's said he knows you before, is that still true here?"

Sans' grip on your shoulder and knee tightens. "Yeah. I've dealt with that little shit more than once. Made him keep his head down around my brother. But he's pretty damn sneaky. Frisk said she'd let him go, that she couldn't kill him. That's what's left of Asriel?"

You nod. "And without me in the void, he's going to be so scared. He's not evil, Sans. He just needs someone to love him."

Sans is quiet for a long moment before his grip slowly loosens. "Okay. If you and the kid vouch for him, and he's really Tori's kid... I can leave him be."

You smile at that. "So in this other world Frisk...she kills everyone. She's reset so many times she is too tempted to know what will happen since she can just reset everyone to resist. I was so enraged when she murdered Flowey, after watching her kill you and Asgore right before that, that I snapped. She was so powerful, Sans. So I tricked her into giving me her power and I would reset the world for her to 'play' with again. I...I was trying to save everyone." Your hands tighten around his shirt.

"But I-I failed. She was stronger than me. We fused and she used my knowledge of the void and timelines to continue her rampage. We were the same person for so long I forgot who I was, so did she. We damaged everyone so thoroughly that it nearly destroyed the multiverse. It corrupted everyone, they turned into an altered version of themselves. They were broken, angry, hurt." You can't look up at him anymore.

"The last timeline in that world. I was in control. Something had broken us too and it was enough to split our selves into two separate timelines. We finally had something to believe in, something to hope for. I restored as many monsters as I could before I made it to the end. When it came time, I asked for their help and they gave me their souls, their encouragement. I restarted the world. I made Frisk younger hoping that she would be innocent enough to not be tempted."

You force your hand to release his shirt. "I guess it worked. I don't know why I remember everything with aching clarity. But I wish I didn't."

"I get...flashbacks."

You chance a glance up at him. He's staring at the far wall with empty sockets. "They started soon after I turned 14 and still happen. I see...Frisk. Killing people. I see through my own eyes, me killing people. I see a human, but she's much older than our Frisk. And her hair is long. She's wild, violent, fucking insane."

"Karrin." You say.

His head snaps down to look at you. "Don't. For the love of God, never say that name again."

Your eyes widen and you give a shaky nod.

He forces a chuckle and his pupils return in a blink. "Sorry. Fuck. That name gives me chills."

"What...what else do you remember?"

"Dying. A lot. How many times has Frisk run through this timeline?"

"Only once."

"She said she was being a 'jerk face' and being mute 'reminded her to be good'."

"When we were still fused, she was making me remember some of the more awful things we did together and begging to be back in control. She wouldn't stop. And I accidentally told her to be silent forever. And it stuck in her soul, or code or whatever."

"Remind me not to piss you off."

You laugh darkly at that.

"What...broke you?" He asks, looking down in curious concern.

"You did."

His eyes widen. "What?"

You chuckle, a blush creeps up your cheeks. "You did, Sans. You made us fall in love with you in spite of all the awful things we did. And it...made us want something better."

He blinks down at you. "You said 'I love you, Sans' before you woke up."

The blush in your cheeks burns hotter. "Oh."

He smiles, stroking your cheek. Butterflies flutter in your stomach and your heart begins to pound. "I sometimes dream about you. Just you. Its the same thing every time. We're standing in this cascade of numbers and you don't say it, but I can hear you begging me not to forget you. And then it all goes black and I wake up."

You still remember that moment vividly, just before you sent him back to his own timeline.

"It was the first flashback I had. I wrote your name down and tried to draw you so I wouldn't forget, but I sucked at drawing. I got a little better, which paid off later. There's lots of stuff I try to remember."

Your heart continues to flutter in your chest. He remembered you. He remembered you!

"I never thought I'd actually see you. I thought for the longest time that I was insane. Until I saw Frisk. Then I realized if she was real, you had to be real too. The kid found one of my drawings when I was moving my stuff topside and said she knew where I could find you. She took me all the way to the edge of the ruins, this pile of yellow flowers. She pointed at it and said you were buried there."

He shakes his head before tucking an errant hair behind your ear. "Then I thought the kid was crazy. But she described you perfectly, even your red eyes and the cow-lick you have just beside your part. She said I was the only one who could bring you back, that someone else had tried and it didn't work. I didn't know you were Tori's human, I just knew she protected all the humans bodies. She's going to kill me when she sees you."

He closes his eyes, his brow furrowing in worry.

"Nah. She'll be upset, but she couldn't hurt anyone. If she didn't kill Asgore for taking six human souls, she won't kill you for bringing her daughter back."

Sans laughs, breaking into a smile. "You're probably right. She might kill me for kissing her daughter though."

You squeak in surprise when Sans leans in and kisses you. You recover and throw your arms around his neck. You suppress a giggle as you do something he really likes. You tilt your head and slide your tongue against his lips, encouraging them to part and you gently bite his bottom lip.

When you pull back you smirk with pride at the dazed look on his face.

"I told you I knew a lot about you."

"I've got some catching up to do, then."

 

****

 

You spend the next month in Alphys' lab, very slowly regaining your ability to walk. Your muscle tone returns gradually and you spend your time watching TV with Alphys (catching up on current events) when Sans goes to the surface to check on Papyrus; letting Sans pick your brain about timelines and other worlds, and re-building a relationship with Frisk on her rare visits to the underground.

You're never alone in the lab for _any_ period of time. It makes you feel bad, like you're stealing pieces away from Sans and Alphys' lives. Sans is underground more than Alphys and you get a lot of time one-on-one with him. He assures you that he doesn't have a life outside of Papyrus and the lab. You don't complain, he was always good company. Very easy going, never pushy about things you didn't want to tell him. Like how the last world ended, what his other selves were like, what you, Frisk and the others were like.

Frisk is as patient and steadfast as you remember. Only instead of playing the long-con torture game, she's just kind. She never gets upset when you press her for answers about Asriel, Toriel and Asgore. She does seem tired of telling you that she doesn't know where Asriel is. Then, the day before you planned to go to the surface to finally see everyone again, Frisk drops a bomb-shell.

You throw a fit when she finally reveals that she had seen him in the ruins after he broke the barrier. She couldn't convince him to come with her so she left him.

Tears spring in her eyes when you scream at her. "How could you leave him?! HE'S-HE'S ALONE ALL THIS TIME, AND JUST AN HOUR AWAY?!"

Sans rushes forward, grabbing you by your waist and lifting you off your feet when you lunge at her. You fight in his grip, but you're still a shadow of your former strength and he easily restrains you. Your shattered soul was quickly weakened by any kind of exertion, physical, mental or emotional.

"THIS WHOLE TIME MY BROTHER HAS BEEN ALONE! Why didn't you tell me, Frisk? WHY?!"

Frisk cries, staring fearfully up at you still struggling in Sans arms. Alphys scoops up Frisk and steps away from you two.

Her hands tremble as she signs. _He didn't want to break anyones heart. He begged me to leave him because he was..._

"HE WAS WHAT?!" You scream, breathing hard.

_He was going to turn back into a flower!_

That...wasn't possible. He couldn't turn back into Flowey, right?

You stop struggling and after a long pause, Sans lets you go. You angrily shove away from him, he holds his hands up defensively, and stalk past Frisk and Alphys. Frisk's broken-heart is plain from her expression but you can't help glaring at her as you pass.

Your ribs ache from Sans' grip on your waist. On your way out the door of Alphys' lab and you snatch one of Sans' jackets from the coat rack.

"Wait! Chara, what are you doing?" Sans runs to catch up to you. You'd never seen him run anywhere. Pausing, you turn back to him and shove your arms into the black jacket. "I'm going to bring Asriel home."

He pants, doubled over with his hands on his knees to support his weight. "You need to exercise more." You scoff with a smile.

"Nah." He waves his hand dismissively before he stands upright. "And let me take you, it'll be faster."

Suspicious.

Your eyes narrow. He looks at you curiously and you shake your head. "Sorry. I uh, still have a hard time remembering you don't have ulterior motives."

He laughs. "Was I that bad before?"

You concentrate on zipping your jacket and don't answer him. In the last world he had several schemes working at once, ready to enact any of them depending on your actions. Even the last fight when Gaster manipulated you into killing him, he had an unspoken plan. You had made him that deceptive and you didn't like talking about it with him.

"One day you're going to have to give me a real answer about that." He adds.

"One day." You agree, but not today. "Can you take me straight to the ruins?"

"Oh, I know where the little sh-uh guy likes to hang-out." He replies. You snort at his slip. "I know he's a pain. But it's because couldn't feel anything, his soul was gone. Entangled with mine in the void."

"Yeah well, I'm putting a lot of trust in you on this one." He says, holding his hand out. You take it. He was gradually becoming comfortable with your touch. Innately, you know its a big deal for him so you don't pressure contact that he doesn't initiate. The only other person you'd seen him hug was Frisk, and no way would Pap let him get away with not hugging him. According to Alphys he didn't brush, touch, hug or even shake anyone elses' hand.

Sometimes you really wish that you could cuddle with him more. You remind yourself that baby steps are always best. You still jump when you feel how warm his skin is, you were so used to the constant chill of him in the other world. So it was a two-way street of jumpy, uneasy touch.

There was so much to get used to in this world. Sometimes it still startled you when you saw your own face looking back at you in the mirror. Your eyes are such a dark shade of red now. They could have passed for brown when you were fused with Frisk, but now there was no doubt that they were indeed blood-red.

"I know you are. And it means so much." You both share a smile as your fingers interlace. "Deep breath." He warns before your vision is ripped from you.

Your knees buckle when your sight returns. You cough and fall into Sans. "I gotcha." He reassures while you try to find your footing again. "We might have to walk back, I don't think jumping like that is good for you."

"Lots of things I do aren't good for me." You reply as you manage to stand again. He rolls his eyes. "We're at the pit." You whisper, looking around you. You turn from Sans, unconsciously touching the temple you busted open when you fell here this timeline. The scar is still there, covered by your hair.

That was always how you fell. Frisk always landed safely, you always busted your head open because you always fell face first.

Sans reaches hesitantly for you but you don't see it before he lets his hands fall.

The flower-bed is bathed in sunlight from above. You exhale shakily and place a hand over your chest, the warmth of your soul pulses against your palm through the thick jacket. You swallow dryly as you sink to your knees in the soft flowers. The same flowers that took your life, the flowers you had been buried under.

Flashes of memories burn behind your eyes. You groan and hold your head in your hands, curling forward. So many timelines flicker through your brain. This place in space and time was a wretched mess.

You were the core Chara, the only Chara. You were never changed by the alternate timelines, though sometimes you replaced Frisk as the last human. There were so many different worlds. And you had been to every single one. You see the one the monsters called 'underfell' in the last world, but it splits more erratically than the original world. You think you see a Frisk coated in flowers from that reality? It's not very stable, its 'code' leaks into void like a wound.

There are worlds that overlap, intertwining with duplicates of people. There's a small Frisk in some, one looks like the color has been washed out of her. She's all shades of gray. There are worlds so dark and twisted they make your stomach turn. A Sans with a permanent head-wound nearly makes you vomit. Oh God...you thought Karrin was bad. The Papyrus there could give her nightmares.

"Chara?" Sans gently grabs your wrists and you slowly look up at him. You have to blink hard to force the increasingly disturbing flashes from your mind. You shudder before you take his face in your hands. "Don't ever change, Sans."

He laughs nervously. "I...don't plan on it?"

You run your hand over his skull just to reassure yourself. You shiver when you feel the smallest traces of a long scar just above his right eye, it goes all the way to the back of his head in a jagged circle.

He frowns with concern. "What is it?"

"Echoes of another world." You whisper.

"What?" His face contorts in disbelief. "That's an old scar, I nearly died after I was born. My skull wasn't fully-formed. I was almost two before it healed completely."

You grimace and don't tell him it matched his other self's wound perfectly. The multiverse was connected by these small coincidences. The entirety of reality was connected in a complex web similar to how a universe connected its timelines together. Things repeated, not always at the same time, but the repetition held everything together like stitches in a quilt.

"Heh..." You remember Sans telling you the exact same thing before. It was a shame you didn't know then what you know now.

The head-wound Sans was born into a depraved, hellish world stronger than any of his other selves and to keep that world connected to the others he had to have a similar wound. Only as an adult instead of as an infant.

You always hit your temple when you fell into the pit. Sans always had a traumatic head wound. Papyrus was connected to the royal guard and his puzzles. Undyne's eye was missing. Alphys' experiments drove her to the brink of sanity. Toriel and Asgore always lost their child. Gaster is scattered across time and space. Mettaton longed for a body to reflect who he really was. Asriel always became a flower.

What connected Frisk to all those worlds? Was it you? Was it her DETERMINATION?

Sans lightly shakes you from your thoughts. You blink, your eyes shifting to his face. "Still with me? You look positively chilled to the bone."

You snort. "Those would only be funny if I were a skeleton too."

He shrugs. "You snorted. It counts as a laugh."

"Ch-Chara? Is that you?"

You jump at the voice and stand, flowers trail from your jeans. "Asriel?" You ask, looking around the pit for him.

You see a pale face appear from the dark. Your eyes widen in astonishment when your brother steps into the light. "ASRIEL!" You sprint toward him and knock him off his feet on accident when you hug him.

"Oof!" You hear the air leave his lungs in a loud whoosh. You hug him tightly, breathlessly crying in relief. He was alive! And not a flower! You feel his warm paws embrace you back. His arms were bigger than you remembered.

You stand and offer a hand to help him up. You're thankful he isn't very heavy, otherwise he could've pulled you off your feet again.

He grips your hand tight, wiping at his furry face with his free paw. "You've got me crying, too." He grumbles. You pull him close. He was taller than you remembered, his chin is even with your forehead. "It doesn't take much, Assey." You tease, laughing when he groans at the awful nickname.

"Doll-face." He jokes back.

You frown at the accurate insult. It was only an insult to you, of course. You hated how delicate your features were, how pale your skin was. It made you look like a creepy China Doll.

"Now, explain to me why the fuck you're still down here?" You snap at him, pulling away to cross your arms dramatically over your chest.

He looks away from you, one of his ears covers his face. His horns had grown more. He must've finally got his magic while you were at Alphys'. Boss monsters were always late-bloomers. How old was he again? 17? 18?

"I...couldn't face everyone again after what I did." He finally answers. He looks anxiously over your shoulder and you know without looking that Sans has moved to stand just behind you. But you glance back anyway.

Sans has his hands shoved into his coat pockets. You know him well enough to read his posture. He had a lot of hatred for your brother. "Down boy." You say with a smirk. Sans narrows his eyes suspiciously at Asriel. He fidgets under the stare.

You roll your eyes and grab Asriels' paws. Ick, they were sweaty. "It's okay. We're going to face them together. I'm not leaving you down here. Mom and dad will understand."

Asriel jerks his arms back and steps into the dark again. His white fur is easily distinguishable in the shadow. "No! No I can't see them. I...I killed Dad, Chara. I-I killed him! He's going to remember that."

You snatch his paws and jerk him back into the light. "He will forgive you." You say forcefully. He tries to pull away, shaking his head and protests and you hold tighter. "Do you remember the last world?" You nearly yell over him and he freezes.

He shivers. "Wh-which one?" He asks.

Sans inhales sharply behind you.

You smile up at Asriel, glad he stopped trying to pull away from you. For a moment you were worried he was going to lose control of his emotions and slip-up with his magic.

"You know damn well which one." You reply lightly.

His paws tighten around your hands. He looks down at the ground. "Yeah."

"You remember our fight then."

He begins to tremble and doesn't answer.

"And you forgave me this timeline. You...you always forgive me. You don't always remember like I do, not until we fuse. But you always chose to be my brother." Your bottom lip trembles when you see tears cut lines through his fur.

"Dad will forgive you because he loves you. Please, brother. Do this with me. I'm not..." You blink back tears. "I'm not strong enough to face them alone."

Asriel sobs and tries to choke back another. You pull him to you in a tight hug. "You were always the softest part of my heart, brother."

"And th-the toughest part of m-mine, Chara."

You laugh, closing your eyes to hold back tears. You hold each other for a little while longer before he finally calms down. "Okay. I-I'll go."

"You have to apologize to Frisk first." You tell him sternly. He looks a little ashamed. "She felt awful for leaving you here. I was furious with her!"

 

*

 

The walk to Alphys' lab is long but pleasant. You don't care how ridiculous the boys feel, you hold both of their hands in your own the entire way. You weren't letting either of them get away from you now.

Frisk is still crying when you all return. She sprints into your arms and you make Asriel apologize to her right there, after you also apologize.

And even though you're tired and incredibly cranky you make the others follow you to the surface. You hold tight to Asriels paw so he can't run away. For a little while you carry Frisk but after ten minutes you're exhausted and she's asleep.

Asriel, being the strongest of you all, carries her against his chest.

After another five minutes you're stumbling, you didn't even make it to Mettaton's Tower. Sans carries you the rest of the way on his back, walking awkwardly behind Asriel because you refuse to release his paw. But neither complain. He occasionally turns to kiss your cheek. It makes you both smile like dorks.

You're asleep by the time you reach New Home.

 

*

 

"Hey hon, wake up." You snort gracelessly awake and groan. Sans chuckles. "We're on the surface. Alphys called a cab." You're sitting in his lap on the side of a road. He smiles at you and kisses your forehead. You groan drowsily at the contact but smile.

"Look." He points. You follow his arm and gasp. You laugh in disbelief. It's gorgeous! The sun is rising in the east, painting the sky in rich lavenders, pinks and oranges. Sans gently tilts your chin up. Above you the stars still shine, you can make out the faint trail of the milky way.

Beside you Asriel stares up in wonder as Frisk points excitedly to different constellations before they vanish in the growing daylight. His tail wags happily just under the hem of his sweater.

You eventually tear your eyes away from the sky when the sun steals the stars from sight. "D-do mom and dad know we're coming?" You ask Sans.

He seems uncomfortable with you calling them 'mom and dad' but it quickly fades. "They just know we're bringing Frisk home."

You smile wickedly in approval. "Ooh, springing it on them? That's borderline cruel, Sans. I must be rubbing off on you." You purr as you boop his invisible nose with yours. Sans growls softly before kissing you.

Asriel makes a gagging sound when you pull him closer. "There's a freaking kid here!" He shouts when you start to flip him off, you stop when you remember Frisk.

"Ugh. Gross, I don't need to see that." Asriel complains when you look smugly up at him. Frisk is covering both of her eyes but peeking through her fingers with a smile. "Well, you should probably get used to it." You tell him.

"Great." He groans. You stick out your tongue and he rolls his eyes before pushing up the end of his snout with a finger, revealing his teeth and crossing his eyes. You snort before laughing loudly. You'd forgotten about that stupid face he made!

"Oh! I think that's ou-our cab!" Alphys says, perking up and pointing down the road. You reign in your laughter and look down the road. A yellow van was approaching. It's strange to see her without her lab-coat. She's wearing an over-sized shirt and gym shorts so her tail is free.

"Does the cab-driver know he's picking up monsters?" You ask Sans.

He shrugs. "He knows now." He says as the van pulls to a stop on the shoulder.

A knot has formed in your stomach. "Does humanity like monsters?" You whisper as Alphys cheerily talks to the cab-driver, thanking him for working so early in the morning. He seems at ease.

Asriel offers you his paw to help you stand. You take it and rise to unsteady feet but look back at Sans, expecting an answer. "We got a mixed reception. But people are over the initial shock around here." He says, standing. He dusts the dirt from his pants and pulls up his hood before shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Well, unless they see me or Pap." He adds with a mirthless smile. "Skeletons are a little more shocking."

You kiss his warm cheek and he closes his eyes for a second.

Alphys opens the sliding side door and climbs into the front seat next to the driver. You smile at Asriel's awestruck face. He's never seen a car in person. Actually, you aren't sure if he's ever seen a car, period. He cautiously crawls in, ducking his head lower when his horns bounce harmlessly against the roof.

Frisk crawls across the second row seat out of Asriels arms and sits next to the window. She shows Asriel how to buckle his seat-belt as you carefully edge into the third row seat. You smile at his innocent confusion. Sans is the last in, slamming the door shut with enough force to make Asriel jump.

"Take it easy, kid." He remarks, patting his back with just a little too much force to be reassuring.

Asriel glances anxiously back at you as Sans flops into the seat. He jumps at the sound and turns straight ahead, wide-eyed. Frisk pats his paw encouragingly as the van pulls onto the road. He's soon too distracted by the passing scenery to be scared.

You snicker and then nudge Sans with a small frown, glancing pointedly at your brother. Sans rolls his eyes and shrugs, feigning ignorance to scaring Asriel. You raise an eyebrow, tilting your head in an "oh really?" expression. He heaves an overly dramatic sigh and slumps in the seat before half-heartedly nodding. Agreeing to ease up on the scary.

You beam in enthusiastic thanks and he smiles too, sitting up straighter in the seat. You suddenly realize how tall Sans is in human terms. He had always been short compared to other monsters. Your brothers both towered over him. If Asriel wasn't leaning against the window as Frisk described the things he pointed at, he would have to hunch over to keep from tearing the fabric roof with his horns. But sitting in the van you got a better idea of how big Sans really was.

You were kind of tall for a girl, around 5'8'' or maybe 5'10''? You'd have to measure to be sure. But Sans was always taller than you. You tilt your head. Sans was slouched in the seat, his knees were apart to keep from digging into the seat in front of him and his legs were bent, his feet tucked under his seat. And still his head nearly brushed the ceiling. That made him...something like 6'4?

He cocks an eyebrow at you curiously. "See something you like?" He teases.

You chuckle. "Very much." You reply reaching over his lap. His eyes widen in surprise and his cheeks burn blue when you look up at him with a perfected smolder. Your hand slides down his thigh and his blush burns darker. Was that a shiver?

You buckle his seat belt, cinching it tight enough that he coughs. "And I'd like him to stay alive as long as possible. So buckle your damn seat belt next time." You whisper with mild anger.

He turns, grumbling incoherently at the window and you snicker at him. His hood covers his face but you're positive it's still burning darkly.

You look out the window, watching the small town and cars pass by. Your throat is suddenly parched. You were insanely anxious to see Toriel and Asgore again. "How much further, Alphy?" You ask, trying to keep your tone light.

She asks the driver. "A-about twenty more mi-minutes." She says brightly, looking at you and Asriel over her shoulder. He glances fearfully at you over the seat. You give a nervous smile. He leans over the back of the seat and grips your hand in his hot paw. You interlace your fingers with his and squeeze tight enough to make your arm tremble. He grips you with equal force, but smiles when Frisk taps his chest to get his attention.

He chuckles. "Sorry, what were you saying?" He asks. She pouts a little and it's fucking adorable. You both relax a few degrees.

She impatiently signs at him. _I was explaining what the lights were. You asked why we stopped. Human roads have stoplights so we don't run into each other while driving._

"Oh. That is pretty nifty. You're just a fountain of information. I'm sorry I got distracted." Asriel tells her. He has the same calming tone your mom has.

Frisk's pout quickly fades to a smile and she pats his chest again. _It's okay._

"The surface is so...big." Asriel comments.

Frisk launches into an excited description of how big the Earth is, how many people there are and how much time it would take to drive at this speed across the United States.

Asriel's jaw drops. "You're kidding! Holy heck, I can't wait to see all of it!"

"Papyrus is planning a road trip this summer, I'm sure he'd love to have you along. Alph and Undyne are going too." Sans adds. Asriel beams. Sans smiles a little, catching his enthusiasm. You look at Sans in surprise. That took a lot to invite him, someone he was only trusting because of you, to spend an extended time with his brother. He shrugs.

Your leg begins to bounce as the minutes slowly tick by. Was this finally the end? Was this the last timeline, the last world? You chew your bottom lip until it bleeds. You had no idea what happened next. This was all uncharted.

You'd never had your own body again, you'd never seen your brother leave the underground, you never had the core-Sans, Frisk had never stopped after one run through the underground.

Your stomach tightens into a knot again and you worry the bleeding bite on the inside of your lip between your teeth. A cold sweat breaks over your skin and you drop Asriel's paw, wrapping your arms around your waist and curling forward. Your heart is pounding in your chest.

"Can you pull over?" Sans calmly asks.

The van slows to a stop as you try to control your breathing. You hear two seat belts unbuckle and the door opens. A hand tugs on your jacket sleeve and you bolt from the van, stepping around Sans' legs. On the side of the road you vomit.

You bring shaking hands to your clammy forehead and try to take deep breaths. You're staring down an alley. At least you didn't puke in someone's driveway. You laugh at the thought of up-chucking in front of road-side restaurant. One of the fancy ones where people like to sit by the windows and talk about how much money they have over teeny portions of food they pay a days living wage for. They'd be so disgusted. And then you'd flip them off as you puked again, just to gross them out.

You laugh again and run your fingers through your hair before taking a deep breath. You hadn't smelled asphalt in God knows how long. It was weirdly calming how unnatural it was.

You turn back to the van and crawl back in. Sans scoots down the seat so you can sit by the door. Asriel has to slam the door back in place because you aren't strong enough to. "Thank you for stopping. Sorry about that, I get car-sick sometimes."

"No worries, ma'am." The driver says cheerily. "Long as it isn't in my van, the meter's still runnin'."

You laugh good-naturedly at that and he pulls back into traffic. You buckle your seat-belt and glance at Sans to be sure he's done the same. He rolls his eyes but smiles as he buckles himself in.

"You okay?" Asriel asks. Alphys, Frisk and Sans are all staring at you now.

You don't like the attention and wave your hand dismissively. "Yeah, just nerves. Jeeze. I didn't barf blood or anything, I'm fine."

Alphys rolls her eyes and Frisk turns back to the window. Asriel frowns in disgust. "Ugh, you're always so dark."

You shrug with a smile. "But you love me."

He pats your knee, "That's still up for debate, dear sister." he remarks before turning to look out the window once more with Frisk.

Sans reaches out and takes your hand, squeezing it reassuringly. He beckons you closer with a quick tilt of his head and a warm smile. You smile weakly at him and scoot until you can curl your legs on the seat, resting your head on his shoulder. He leans his head on yours and you're thankful for the comfort.

The rest of the trip passes in silence. Your stomach rolls every few minutes but it isn't unbearable.

The van slows and turns into a neighborhood. You tense and sit upright. Sans pats your hand with his other hand and you reach for Asriel's paw. The van stops in front of an unassuming two-story brick house. It sits on a large lot, the grass grows a rich green even though it's the beginning of winter.

You laugh. It even had a white picket fence out back. Sans hands a handful of twenties to Asriel. "For the driver." He tells him, nodding to the front. Asriel hands the money over with an uncertain expression.

"Keep the change." Sans says.

"Thanks, man."

"Not easy to ride with a van full of monsters for forty minutes in silence." He replies.

"Better than a van full of drunk kids."

"Very true."

You would smile at this cheery exchange, Sans had a way of putting people at ease and it was fascinating to watch, but your heart is pounding in your chest again.

Alphys unbuckles herself first and slides from the van. You and Asriel stiffen when she pulls open the door.

You suddenly want to go back to the lab and never leave. You'd rather go to the void again than confront your parents.

Alphys waits patiently. "It's just T-Toriel and Asgore in there. Y-you'll meet ev-everyone else later." She explains.

Asriel is trembling. You release his paw and unbuckle your seat-belt, scooting forward until you can step out of the van. You could make yourself do this for him, you were the one that tore him from your parents to begin with. You had caused the cascade of chaos leading to this moment. You could be strong for him, he would follow.

You turn and hold out your hand for him. He's shaking so much he can't unbuckle his seat-belt. Frisk bats his hands away and unbuckles it, then makes a shooing motion toward the door. "Watch your head." You tell him a fraction of a second before he slams his head into the ceiling.

"Thanks." He says, taking your hand. You both turn to the house and cling tightly to each others hand. "We can do this, Assey." You tell him.

He snorts, laughing nervously. The tension in his shoulders has faded a little. You walk forward, pulling him with you. You make it halfway up the sidewalk when the front door is ripped open.

Toriel stands in the doorway and all three of you freeze. She covers her mouth with paw as the door continues to swing open. Asgore stands behind her, his jaw drops.

"Children?" Toriel breathes, tears welling in her eyes.

Yours and Asriel's grip reflexively tightens at the same time when she speaks. "Mom." You sob. You force a smile. "I brought him home." You shove your brother toward her as she runs down the sidewalk. Asgore walks down the front steps in a daze.

Toriel sobs, catching Asriel in her arms. She kisses his cheek and immediately pulls you into her embrace and kisses you too. "You are both alive!" She wails joyously, holding you both tightly to her. You sob into her shoulder, gripping her shirt.

"I'm s-so sorry!" You cry. "It-it was my idea! I'm so sorry, mom!"

Her shoulders jerk and she kisses your forehead. "Hush, now child. You were both forgiven long ago." She says. Your knees give out and she yelps in surprise, following you to the ground. You continue to sob, unable to stand.

Suddenly you're lifted into the air in a perfectly tight embrace. You hear Asriel yelp in shock. "D-dad!"

You force yourself to open your eyes. Asgore blinks for a long moment before he looks down at you both. He breaks into a watery smile and holds you both tighter. "Children. I am overjoyed to see you again."

Asriel cries into his chest. "Dad! I-I-I-!"

"Hush." Asgore soothes, resting his chin on Asriels' head. Asgore sets you both down but your knees wobble as you start crying again. Toriel joins the embrace and you lean heavily on her. Asgore kneels and takes all of you in his arms. "We are just thankful you two are somehow whole. The past does not matter." Toriel says, brushing your hair down. You sob again.

You take longer to recover than Asriel.

"Let us go inside, I have some butterscotch pie made."

You laugh, wiping at your face with your sleeve. Toriel cradles your face in one of her paws and then does the same with Asriel. He's hiccuping. "That sounds wonderful, mom." You say.

"You are all invited too, of course." Mom calls to the others still standing by the curb. You cling to her arm and look over your shoulder. The cab was still parked. The driver looks pretty...overcome with emotion. Sans has pulled his hood forward to shade his face with his hands shoved into his pockets. Alphys wipes at her eyes under her glasses and Frisk sprints up the sidewalk, vaulting into Toriels' arms. Her small shoulders shake with quiet sobs.

"Oh, it's all right, Frisk." She soothes, kissing her forehead. "Now all my children are finally home." She says, looking at you and Asriel lovingly. Oh how you missed that look. It made you feel like you could never fail, like you were special.

Sans is there to lean into when your knees wobble, threatening to give out. You zip your jacket higher over your weakly shining soul before anyone notices it.

"Chara, are you alright?" Asgore asks. Everyone turns to you and you struggle to stand upright without leaning on Sans. "Yeah, just fine." You try to lie, but even you aren't convinced. You don't want to ruin this perfect reunion with all the attention on you. That was just selfish.

You force a dry laugh and try to walk up the sidewalk. Your legs finally give up and you go limp. Sans and Asgore grab you, but Sans scoops you from his grip. "She needs to get inside." He says.

"Stop...I'm...f--" You try to say you're fine but the world spirals away in a wash of black.

 

*

 

Numbers fly past you, they drift in and out of focus.

_*Your glitched code is fixed. You are free, Chara. Take care of him._

You see Gaster, but everything is flickering in and out of focus. Before you can make sense of what he said or to thank him, you're thrown back.

 

*

 

You inhale so hard your back arches and you sit upright. You cough hard and take another sucking breath of air.

"Oh thank God." Sans sighs, sitting back with a hand on his head.

"Chara!"

"You had us worried, child. Are you alright?"

You don't know yet. You hadn't seen Gaster since you had been in the void. You don't like that you saw him again. You're sitting on the floor of what looks like the living room. Mom stands with a glass of water at your feet, she looks uncertain. She glances uncomfortably between you and Sans. Dad kneels on one knee beside Sans, his hand over his shoulders supportively. He looks hard at you in concern.

Sans has broken out in a sweat and gives a nervous laugh, closing his eyes. Alphys and Asriel look like they're going to burst into tears.

A small hand taps your arm. You turn to Frisk, still trying to catch your breath. She's smiling happily, revealing the missing tooth. She points excitedly to your chest.

You pant, looking down. A bright dappled light is shining through your black shirt. You pull the collar down and gasp. Toriel makes a horrified sound, covering her mouth with her paws as she drops the glass of water. It lands harmlessly on the carpet. Asgore's eyes widen.

"Sans, look." You breathe.

Frisk claps before covering her mouth with her hands and doing a little dance on the spot.

Your shattered soul pulses over your chest. But over the brightly shinning white light hover the missing pieces. The parts of you that been scattered by Gaster in your desperate fight to save the world had returned.

You watch as the pieces snap back suddenly in place. You inhale roughly, it wasn't initially a pleasant feeling but slowly you feel strength seep into your muscles. You sigh as your soul returns to its rightful place against your sternum and sinks into your skin.

*A warmth floods your veins... You have been SAVED

You cry out in shock when a white blur tackles you. "Ugh, Asriel. Calm down." You complain as he hugs you tightly. "I thought you died!"

You almost snap back that you can't die, you've tried more times than anyone ever to kill yourself permanently but you remember Gaster's words. You were free. It was your last life, finally! You could finally rest in peace at the end of this world.

You hug him back and smile at your family surrounding you. Frisk smiles back. _I told you._ She signs. You feel like she would say more but the others would be upset if she continued.

It was the last time. You could finally let yourself make commitments, build relationships, you could finally love without barriers.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got a few fluff chapters I'm going to add. This ending is going to be a continuation of Culmination of Echoes. There will be a part 2 and it'll be less intense than this one. I'll be posting more chapters to it soon!


End file.
